Just a Dream
by WordSmithers
Summary: Just after taking the Dark Mark and before the start of sixth year, Draco starts dreaming about Hermione Granger. A fact that unsettles and angers him greatly. In trying to find the meaning of his dreams will he find something more? AU DM/HG fic.
1. Oddities

**This will be my one disclaimer, please reference this for the rest of the story. I am not perfect and fantastic, like JKR I am simply borrowing her characters and story for my own fun. Thanks!**

* * *

Just a Dream

Chapter One: Oddities

 _I was caressing her beautiful face. It was more world weary and heavy than it had once been, but, still vastly beautiful. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me. I ran the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip slowly, once, and then again. I replaced my lips with the thumb and kissed her gently. I knew without a doubt that this woman was worth all the sacrifice, all the time, and all the love that I had to give. A deep sense of protection welled up in me, as usual where this particular witch was concerned. The need to protect her, and love her was absolute._

 _She pressed a little closer to me, my hand threading into her wild curls, before drawing back and regarding me with her deep brown eyes. As soon as we made eye contact I felt a searing jolt in my left arm._

My eyes flew open and my right hand grasped my left forearm. I looked down and grimaced. My arm was still marred by the disgusting dark mark I had taken mere days before. I blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the weird dream from my mind. I had dreamt the exact same scenario three nights in a row now. What the hell was I doing dreaming of Hermione Granger anyway? I hated that stupid mudblood. I groaned rolling onto my side and then out of bed. I hurriedly got ready for the day and exited my room. I found my parents in the dining room, eating breakfast, along with a couple other death eaters that seemed to perpetually haunt the halls of Malfoy Manor.

"Good morning, Draco," my mother attempted to smile at me from across the table. I nodded to show I had heard her.

"Mother, Father, good morning." A house elf appeared with a plate of breakfast for me.

"We're going into Diagon Alley to get your school things today." My mother informed me. I nodded again. There was an uncomfortable silence that fell over the room, it was normal these days.

* * *

Soon enough Mother and I were in Diagon Alley buying school supplies. It seemed that the pall that hung over Malfoy Manor was present here as well, people darted around keeping to themselves quietly as they did their shopping. No one made eye contact with anyone else and the tense atmosphere was palpable. That was until the flourishing WWW joke shop came into view. It was like sun breaking through a heavy cloud bank. I longed to go toward it, but knew I couldn't. A Malfoy could not be seen as a patron at a Weasley business. So, Mother me and instead ventured further into the mire, toward Knockturn Alley.

We were headed for Borgin and Burkes; there was something there that I would need for my task. A broken Vanishing Cabinet, whose twin resided in Hogwarts. All I had to do was repair it, and I could bring my backup into the school. I had this odd feeling that we were being watched while I was in the shop that I couldn't shake.

My eyes glanced up and out of a window where I could have sworn that I saw some bright red hair disappearing from view quickly. I shook my head at myself and refocused on Mr. Borgin, who was explaining to me the spellwork that would be needed to repair the cabinet. It was intricate tricky spell work, but, I had no choice except to rise up to the challenge.

By the time we arrived back home that night my head was swimming with questions, doubts, and new information. I ate my dinner silently before retiring to my room for the night.

 _I was caressing her beautiful face. It was more world weary and heavy than it had once been, but, still vastly beautiful. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me. I ran the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip slowly, once, and then again. I replaced my lips with the thumb and kissed her gently. I knew without a doubt that this woman was worth all the sacrifice, all the time, and all the love that I had to give. A deep sense of protection welled up in me, as usual where this particular witch was concerned. The need to protect her, and love her was absolute._

 _She drew back and her eyes bore into mine. "Draco, what are you thinking?" Her voice drifted wearily to my ears, as though it had to travel a great distance to be heard._

 _"What do you mean, love?"_

 _"You can't do this. You are not a killer; you won't be able to kill Dumbledore. He's setting you up to fail."_

 _"I have no choice. I have no choice! My life is on the line and that of my family too."_

 _"You always have a choice Draco. You know there are people that would admire your bravery and help you."_

 _"Bravery…I'm not brave at all." I felt her hand on my face, patiently waiting until I looked up at her._

 _"You might not think so, but you are, and you will be – braver than you could know." I felt my brows furrow at the cryptic response._

 _"Tell me what to do." She opened her mouth to respond, but my arm was on fire – it was all I could focus on. I didn't hear her response._

I was ripped from sleep again with the burning of my arm. I pressed my burning arm against my forehead and willed it to cool down. My mind flitted back to the dream. It had changed. She never spoke to me in the previous dreams. I knew that dreams could be pretty significant, and knew I had to talk to someone about these ones. The question was who? I couldn't trust most people I knew. I sighed and tried to calm my racing heart and mind. I pushed out of bed and went to my bathroom, getting ready for the day slowly and thoughtfully.

I would be going back to Hogwarts the next day, and researching dreams would be easier there, I decided. I hoped that the dream wouldn't get any more intense, and that I could handle them until I got them figured out. The day went by quickly and soon I was dreading falling asleep again. The dream was going the same until -

 _"You might not think so, but you are, and you will be – braver than you could know." I felt my brows furrow at the cryptic response._

 _"Tell me what to do!"_

 _"You know what to do. I'll help you, just be patient."_

 _"You're going to help me?"_

 _"Of course, I lov-"_

I was wrenched into reality and I frowned. At least this morning didn't bring the searing pain in my arm that always accompanied these dreams. I groaned, rolling out of bed to face the day.

* * *

I was on the Hogwarts Express hurtling towards the school in next to no time. I was sitting with my regular group – Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle. I was arrogantly going on about how next year I wouldn't be stuck in charms class when our compartment went black. When the darkness cleared I noticed shifting above us. Fucking Potter trying to listen in, why? Like everyone in the school didn't know by now that he had that stupid invisibility cloak. I deftly switched the subject away from what we had been talking about and carefully controlled the conversation until we arrived at school.

I waved everyone on ahead of me and turned back to the 'empty' compartment. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop Potter?" I asked, shooting a stunning spell at him. He toppled from the rafter above and his eyes, which were stuck open, were on me. "I suppose they didn't have the time did they Potter? They died when you were still a baby." I snarled and stomped on his face, hearing a sickening crunch. I laughed and flung his cloak back over him before making my way off the train.

I was almost late to the great hall, but made it to my seat before the sorting ceremony started. I noticed Potter enter the hall after the sorting had finished, and dinner had almost concluded. I was a little annoyed that he wasn't chugging back to London, but I smiled to myself anyway. What a git he was. Just as dessert appeared Snape approached the table to talk to me. "Sir," I nodded acknowledging him.

"Draco, after you get the first years to the common room, you have patrol with Granger on the first floor. I fought an eye-roll.

"Yes sir." Ne nodded curtly before walking a few feet away and talking to Pansy. The headmaster stood and excused everyone from the Great Hall, everyone stood. I walked toward Pansy and we gathered up the first years to lead them to the Common Room. Pansy threw me a sidelong glance as we walked to the dungeons. "Do I have something on my face Pans?" I asked. She smirked and shook her head.

"I was just looking at you. Who do you have to patrol with tonight?" She asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Granger," Pansy looked sympathetic. "Who are you on with?"

"Padma," She shrugged, "She's not so bad."

"She's a bloody gossip though." I responded. Pansy nodded and chuckled.

"She does have a bit of a big mouth, better Padma than Granger though, she's horrible.

"Of course Patil is better than Granger, they probably have to keep the weasel and her separated." I snorted.

"Ew! Foul Drake, I don't want to think about those two together!" I laughed at her response. I didn't want to think about Granger and Weasley together either it was gross, but it also made me feel angry somehow. I couldn't quite name the emotion, but, it made me uncomfortable. "Okay, twerps, this is the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room."

"You need the password to get access, it will be posted in the Common Room when it gets changed, which is usually once every two weeks or so. Do not give it out to anyone outside of Slytherin house. The password now is Salazar; it will be changed to something less generic tomorrow, so make sure you find out what the new password is!" Upon saying 'Salazar' a portion of the wall behind me opened up. We ushered the first years in.

"Being in Slytherin is a great honour." Pansy said when the kiddos were gathered in front of us.

"We always look out for our fellow Slytherin's – house pride is huge here. If you're lost or confused about homework, or some Gryffindor punk is hassling you, you let anyone of the older students know, or come to Pansy or myself."

"While you are here at Hogwarts, this Common Room is your home, and all the other Slytherin's are your family. Do not leave messes around the Common Room, and do not let us catch you losing house points for Slytherin! Girls, follow me to the dorms!"

"If you gentlemen would follow me," I sauntered off to the left, where a downward staircase took us down to a hallway. "At the end of this hallway is a communal bathroom for all the first years, and the other doors lead off to dormers, there will be three to a room, and your names are on the doors. Go ahead and get settled, you can also check the common room out, but do not leave the commons tonight. On your beds you will find a map of the school, and find that your belongs are all here as well. Any questions?" There were a couple of mumbled no's and I nodded. "If you have questions later I'll be in the Common Room from around ten-thirty till midnight, after I've finished rounds. Now, be good boys while I'm gone." I laughed ruffling the hair of the boy closest to me. He glared at me and I laughed harder as I made my way back up to the Common Room.

I quickly exited and made my way up to the first floor, I waited by the staircase for Granger to arrive. She took about five minutes. "Malfoy," She greeted.

"Granger," I was surprised when the name didn't come out as a sneer. It seemed to catch her off guard too.

"Sorry I'm late; I had one girl with a million questions." I shrugged as we set off.

"She's a girl after your own heart then." I put a scoff into my tone. Granger looked over with a glare. "It's no big deal, my boys had no questions, and I think I was early." I had been on many patrols with Granger the year before as well. It was hard to keep up complete vitriol the entire time. We were mostly silent as we paced the halls together. "We should check the Library before our rounds are over. There might be some last minute summer homework slackers in there." She nodded and we made our way into the library

"I'll go left, you go right?" She asked as we entered. I nodded.

"We'll meet up at the restricted section in twenty minutes?" She nodded. I knew that the Library catalogue was to the right, and once Granger was out of site I bee lined for it. I quickly flicked through until I found the cards for dream books. I was lucky; they were also on my side of the Library. I made my way around making sure all of the tables were empty, and there were no students hiding out in any of the stacks. I found the dream section and pulled one of the books I thought would help me. I'd fill out a sign out for it before we left. I finished my section and looked at my watch, quickly heading for the restricted section. Hermione was waiting there looking a bit disgruntled. "Did you find something?"

"Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbot were not studying in the zoology section." She scrunched her nose. I bit back a laugh. Every prefect had caught couples getting hot and heavy in the stacks – well couples could be found coupling all over the school.

"Foul, aren't I lucky they decided to fornicate in your section of the library?" She frowned and nodded her head at me.

"You know what those two are like." Unfortunately I did, they were kind of notorious for obscene sexual escapades. "It doesn't even make sense why they go all over the school; they are from the same house! They could just fool around in there."

"I heard she can't get off if there is no risk involved." I shrugged; Granger looked shocked and wrinkled her nose further. We turned toward the restricted section and poked around quickly making sure it was empty. "I just need to sign this out before we leave." I indicated the book I had in the crook of my arm. Granger raised an eyebrow, I held the book up and a very odd look crossed her face upon reading the title.

"Modern Magical Dream Interpretation: Prophecy or Psyche?" I shrugged. "Have you been having dreams Malfoy?" She asked. Something about the tone of her voice when she asked the question made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Even if I had, I wouldn't tell you. But, this is for Pansy, she asked me to pick it up for her because she knew I would be up on first tonight." I could feel Granger's eyes watching me as I walked to the front desk and signed out the book. She was giving off really strange vibes. I wanted to ask her what she was staring at, but, I was afraid of the answer. Instead, we left the Library in silence her gaze still upon me. I took a deep breath in before meeting her gaze. "Do you have a problem Granger?" I asked.

"I – no – I just - no. No problem Malfoy, have a good night." I watched her retreating form with interest. It was a bizarre start to the year, and I knew it would only get crazier from here.

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 **AN: Howdy Dowdy! Back with a new story after quite awhile of not posting. Just getting back in the groove with this chapter. The idea for this story hit me out of the blue today and I just started writing. So, who knows where this story will end up? The bit where Draco finds Harry in the compartment is mostly from the movie, because I remember that batter than the book, but, also from my head a bit... Anyway nice rambly AN to start this tale off right. ;)**

 **Please, please drop me a review, it's important in the first couple of chapters to know how the story is being received and if it needs tweaks or what. Thank you for reading commenting and favving this story! 3**

 **~WS**


	2. New Information

2\. New Information

The weeks were ticking by, and I had fallen into a busy schedule. Wake up, go to breakfast, and head to class, lunch, class, and dinner, patrolling, freaking out and working on the mission, sleep. Sleeping always lead to dreaming – I always dreamt about the same damn thing. Hermione Granger. I saw her in my dreams all night, and bumped into her more often than I would prefer during the day. It was as though my dreams were skewing how I interacted with the witch, it was hard to be hostile or mean when I dreamt about caressing her and falling in love with her. I would always shake the thought from my head and remind myself that I hated that nosy, goody goody Gryffindor and her friends.

My life was stressful at every turn. The mission was not going well, and my heart was not truly in it. My dreams and the research I was doing on them was stressing me out. All signs pointed to a prophetic dream, and I refused to believe that one day I would be fawning over Granger like a lovesick puppy. Snape was always breathing down my neck. Dumbledore was always looking at me with this stupid look on his face. I was having troubles repairing the cabinet when I found time to work on it, and on top of everything else I was trying to maintain my grades as was expected of me.

The first Saturday of October found me deep in an armchair by the fire in the Common Room. I was procrastinating and wanted nothing more than to nap all day – dreamlessly, mind you. I had a book propped open, pretending to study some subject or other, when a first year approached me. He was a boy by the name of Preston Fawley, a bright pure-blooded boy – but needy. I looked up at his pale face, his dark eyes a stark contrast, his brown locks messy, like he had forgotten to brush his hair.

"Fawley, what can I do for you?"

"Sorry to bother you Draco, but, I need your help with the potions essay that Slughorn set." I swallowed my sigh and sat up straighter.

"What's the assignment?"

"The Wiggenweld potion, I need to write an essay on the origins of the potion and practical uses."

"And what can I do to help you with that?"

"Well, there isn't that much to say about the Wiggenweld potion, but I need three more inches of parchment to complete the assignment. What do the professors look for in essays?"

"If you're ever stuck for length pad it with additional facts – go look up the ingredients and really break them down. Find the etymology of words and stick that in. Snape was a stickler for details, I assume Slughorn will be similar, so cram in as many details as you can, and he'll be happy. Have you got it from here?" I asked, Preston nodded and mumbled a quick thank you before scampering off. I let out the pent up sigh and set aside the book I was pretending to read in preference for the book that I still had on loan from the Library about dreams. I flicked to a passage I had read, and re-read more times than I could count.

 _Even if seer ability is latent or uncommon in a family line, recurring dreams are often prophetic in nature. The more similar a dream is night after night, the higher probability that it is tied to the dreamer's future. The moment will be of high significance, and is usually inescapable. For a further break down on recurrent dreams and their prophetic meaning use the index below._

I had been through the index and I was unhappy with what I had read. Dreams where the permutations were building and the dream was lengthening, but the beginning stayed the same, were 'pivotal' and 'life- altering'. I could not picture a future where I would be confiding in Granger and asking her for help. It was preposterous. I was going to go and talk to Madame Pomfrey about the nature of magical dreams. Maladies and dreams were known to go hand in hand. Beyond that I had no idea what to do. I was considering Snape as a last resort, but, the way he was hovering lately had really put me off of him. I was torn from the book when Blaise plopped into the chair next to mine.

"Alright Draco?" He sent a smirk my way, and I couldn't help the responding lift of the right side of my mouth.

"I'm fine Blaise, you?"

"I am hungry, and it is breakfast time, care to join me mate? Pans has been all over me because you've been so busy this year. She might sod off if she sees I'm busy."

"Yeah, yeah, Blaise I'm so sorry that you're getting attention, I know how much you hate that." I rolled my eyes. I stuck the books I had out into my bag and stood, following Blaise out of the common room.

"What have you been up to this year, you really have been busier than ever. You're more hectic than everyone else, what's up Dray?" I sighed and looked at Blaise briefly.

"I've got a lot on. I have some extra things I'm working on, and I haven't been sleeping well since this summer."

"Extra things?" He questioned.

"Things I can't get into with you. And I've been working on a personal research problem as well. You know anything about dreams mate?" Blaise raised an eyebrow at me.

"I know a couple of things about dreams. You know my mother is big into that kind of stuff." I nodded; I had forgotten his mother was into divination. We had just cleared the dungeons and quickly made our way to the great hall and then to the Slytherin table; sitting we piled our plates with breakfast.

"This summer I had…an incident, and directly after that I started having a dream. The same dream over and over. The start is always the same, and it follows the same basic path, but, it gets longer every time, and there is more revealed every dream. I don't know what to make of it. I'm thinking of going to see Madame Pomfrey about it." Blaise was listening with rapt attention.

"No chance you would be more specific than that?" He asked with a smirk.

"Not at the moment." I looked pointedly around us at all the people who could overhear the conversation. Blaise nodded and chewed thoughtfully on the food in his mouth.

"I think I'll take some air after breakfast if you're interested." I shrugged. It might be nice to talk to someone about one of my troubles.

"Sure mate sounds fine." We finished breakfast and left the great hall, making our way out the front doors of the castle. Meandering down through the grounds to come to the black lake, we eventually made our way to a tree we frequented sometimes. There was a branch that was perfect to hang out on. We clambered onto the tree and onto the branch. I looked around carefully before I started talking to make sure we were really alone. "If I tell you about this, you have to swear to me that you will not utter a word about this to anyone else!"

"Of course I won't tell anyone else, you know you can trust me Draco." I sighed taking another glance around. I quickly rolled up my left sleeve. Blaise's face was unreadable upon seeing the mark on my forearm. I rolled the sleeve back down and took a deep breath.

"So, that happened this summer. I didn't want it, but, you know my family." Blaise nodded emphatically. "So the night after I got this…I had a dream…about…a dream about Granger. We were, uh, lying together and she was sleeping, she wakes up and looks at me, and I get this feeling. Like, this life completing feeling. I know without a doubt that I love her more than anything in the world. We kiss and at first, the dream would end abruptly there, the pain from my arm waking me. That was the entirety of the dream for maybe the first three nights or so. Then it evolved to her talking to me. Telling me that I always have choices and she would help me. It's just gotten longer and more complex since then. It's bothering me, to say the least." Blaise was silent a moment.

"That's pretty big Draco. If it was a dream or two I would chalk it up to some kind of weird fluke. But, over a month's worth of the same dream…that seems significant. I would talk to Pomfrey about it, maybe Snape? You don't want something like this happening without figuring it out." I nodded in agreement. "Maybe you could also talk to Granger." I sighed.

"She was patrolling with me the first night of school. We were on the first floor, so, we also checked the library, and I checked out a book on dreams while we were there."

"She didn't freak out because Madame Pince wasn't there to authorise it?"

"No, she was way too weirded out by the book I was checking out. She saw it was about dreams, and asked if I had been having strange dreams. I said no, that I was picking the book up for Pansy. But she was acting even weirder than usual after that. Like staring at me and stuttering when she talked. If I were to venture a guess she might be having dreams too. I don't want to ask though. I don't want the dream to come true."

"Hermione's actually pretty fit. You could do worse."

"It's not about her being fit. She's annoying, and she's a mudblood. You think my parents would accept that?"

"Sometimes life isn't about what your parents want mate." I groaned.

"I know that Blaise. You're seriously telling me you would go for that insufferable know it all Gryffindor?"

"Probably, yeah, but I'm not the one dreaming about her every night. I know you're under so much pressure this year, you shouldn't add this unnecessary concern to it."

"I'm not sure it's unnecessary concern. I'm suddenly having dreams that all indicators point to it being prophetic, and I shouldn't worry about it? I don't know of anyone in my bloodlines with future seeing abilities. So where is it coming from?"

"I dunno man, that's why I'd talk to a couple different people about it. You know if you need anything you can trust me." I knew he was trying to dig subtly at why I had been given the Dark Mark.

"I know Blaise. You don't need to be dragged into all of my shit though. It's safer for you if you aren't. "I think I'll head in and see if Pomfrey is free to chat. Are you staying out here?"

"I might for a while; I want to help with this dream thing. I need to think about it a bit." I nodded and climbed down from the tree calling a goodbye to Blaise before I walked off back to the castle. I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings and bumped into someone knocking them down.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I looked down and saw Granger looking baffled on the floor. "Granger, my bad really, I wasn't paying attention." I offered her a hand up. She looked at me warily before taking it and getting to her feet. She started gathering the stack of books that had gone flying from her arms when I smacked into her. I helped pick up the last few and looked up at her in surprise; she was carrying a book on dreams. "Have you been having dreams Granger?"

"As a matter of fact I have. I was just on my way to the library to switch out books."

"Well, off you go." I intoned holding the two books I had out to her. I had started to walk away when I heard her call after me.

"Malfoy!" I turned at the sharpness in her tone. "I think we need to talk." I sauntered back to her.

"Why would I want to talk to you Granger?" She took a deep breath, looking like she was steeling herself.

"I don't believe that you were checking that book out for Pansy the first night we were back at Hogwarts."

"Oh, you don't? Well pray tell me, Granger, what do you believe?" She shifted the books she was holding in her arms and looked around us.

"Not here Malfoy, will you come the Library with me?"

"I have no reason to."

"I disagree, no matter how much you dislike me, I really need to talk to you about something important. It's personal though, and you know how people talk around here, so let's go to the Library we have that project due in Arthimancy as a cover for why we are chatting to each other." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay fine, Granger, lead the way." She started walking off and I trudged behind her, nervous about what she was going to say. I wouldn't admit to having dreams about her unless I thought her research, that she had clearly been doing, would pay off for me. We entered the library and headed toward a back corner, where Granger set down the numerous books she was carrying. I sat and crossed my arms looking at her. She cast a muffling charm around us and looked over at me. "Okay Granger – what do you want?"

"Tell me honestly why you were checking that dream book out." She countered, crossing her own arms. I fought back a growl.

"I've told you already Granger. What do you want?" She sighed and rolled her eyes; I think she mumbled 'typical' under her breath.

"Well, I've been looking into dreams because I have been having dreams – dreams about you." I had to admire her directness in that moment. We were in no way amicable, some would eve say enemies, and here she was stating she was dreaming about me. I looked down to the arms I had crossed over my chest and tried to figure out what to do. I didn't have time formulate a response before she kept talking. "They started this summer. You are watching me sleep, and when I wake up in the dream I get this feeling like I've never been so safe, or felt more right. And then…we kiss, and I pull back to look at you and start saying things like you have choices, and I'll help you. From the research I've done this is either some kind of prophecy, or it's a magically implanted thought." She took a deep breath and I looked up from my crossed arms.

"That's quite the fantasy Granger. What does this have to do with me then?" I was being obtuse, but she might be a bit more explanatory if I played dumb.

"Well, considering you star in the dream, and I saw you checking that book out of the library…I thought I'd ask. It's hard to tell if it's prophetic or planted without the proper context. I can't exactly talk it out with Harry and Ron; they'd flip out over this. Frankly this dream business is doing my head in." She sank her head into her hand that was propped on the table. I felt a bit bad for her. I knew the feeling exactly. I sighed and had an internal battle over feigning ignorance, or talking to her about the dream. I opened my mouth to answer but was cut off by a disgruntled red-head trouncing onto the scene, breaking through the muffle barrier Granger had cast.

"Hermione! You blew Harry and me off for this?" He gestured rudely at me and I narrowed my eyes.

"This wasn't my idea Weasel, but, we have an Arithmancy project due. I'm fine putting it off if you two need to spat." I sat up straighter but kept my arms crossed. Weasley looked between me and Hermione trying to decide what to do.

"Is that true 'Mione? " She gestured to an open Arithmancy book, and some parchment that I hadn't noticed before. "I guess I'll talk to you later then." He pouted before walking off. I looked over to Hermione and she looked angry.

"Is there trouble in paradise Granger?" I asked with a smirk. She glared.

"Let's just forget about this. I clearly was wrong, and now I'm annoyed. Since you're here let's just work on this project and then we can both get back to our day."

"That's fine with me Granger." The whole time we were working on the project I was trying to decide what to do with the information Granger had given me today. I tried to combat the guilt I felt when she stood tiredly and basically said 'thanks for nothing' before walking off. I groaned dropping my head onto the table and wishing that things would stop complicating themselves.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys! Chapter 2 up and I'm pretty happy with it. I know I describe the dream over and over. But it is the set up for this entire story. I would like to take this chance to thank my two reviewers for the first chapter Bammerella, and annaea3077! Reviews make writing these stories worth it! Even if it's just a simple I like this, or something more in depth, I love em all. I got quite a few follows on this as well, so I think it's being well received. Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. You know what to do! Review, Fav, and Follow! ;)**

 **~WS**


	3. I Will

3\. I Will

I spent a week fitfully trying to forget Granger dragging me into the Library. I had talked to Blaise, and he thought I should suck it up and talk to Granger, but, I didn't want to trust her. I didn't want to give this dream any excuse to come true. The days dragged, and sleep became even sparser for me as I dug in on the Dumbledore project. We had a Hogsmeade weekend upcoming and I had a plan laid out. I had contacted my mother who was sending someone to meet me in Hogsmeade with a cursed necklace. I would cast Imperio on someone, hopefully from Gryffindor house, and get the cursed object to Dumbledore that way. It was a weak plan with many flaws, but better than nothing. Yet, still, Granger was weighing heavily on my mind.

Awakening on the Saturday before the Hogsmeade weekend, and a week after being confronted by Granger I decided I needed to make a change. So I grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled out a note. I quickly threw on some clothes and raced toward the Owlery, knowing that I could make it before breakfast mail was delivered. I quickly got the note attached to an owl and gave it specific instructions to deliver the note during breakfast, and missing that ensure the letter was delivered somehow. I left the Owlery and pelted down to the great hall; I slipped in next to Blaise and caught my breath for a moment.

"What the hell Draco?" He asked softly throwing me a concerned look. I took a few more breaths before piling breakfast on my plate and flicking my eyes quickly to the Gryffindor table.

"I had something to do this morning, and didn't want to miss breakfast." I shrugged. Blaise looked unconvinced, following my gaze; he caught me watching Granger – who was just now receiving an owl. I flicked my eyes back to Blaise and smirked. "Mind your own business mate." I muttered. I could tell that he was a fighting a smile, obviously coming to his own conclusions about my actions. I started eating breakfast and switched my gaze briefly back toward Granger. She was looking at me and sent me a curt nod when she caught my glance. I gave an almost imperceptible nod back and refocused on breakfast.

I had sent a message off to Granger asking her to meet me in the South Tower, there was a practice room not far from the Herbology classroom, where we studied if it was too inclement to study in the greenhouses, and apparently she assented. Not using Granger's dream knowledge was, quite frankly, idiotic of me. We were more likely to come to a conclusion or solution working together. Say what I would about her, she was rather intelligent. I didn't taste the food I was eating and soon I was pulled from my inner thoughts by Blaise waving his hand in front of my face.

"Earth to Draco!" He laughed. I blinked and looked at him.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked.

"I asked if you're okay, you're acting a little strange mate." I looked at him and sighed.

"I'm working on it. I have a lot to do today, I've got to get going – and look right on time, here comes Pansy! She'll be delighted to keep you company." I shot a smirk at him and got up, striding quickly from the hall. I went down to the Common Room, heading into my room and grabbing up the books and notes I had on dreams. I shoved everything into my book bag and paused only long enough to straighten my dishevelled appearance. I moved up through the common room and back out into the castle. I hurriedly made my way toward the South Tower, and arrived at the practice room I had asked Granger to meet me in. It was hard to find because the entrance was down an obscure hallway that was covered by a tapestry. I used this room to study frequently and was hardly ever interrupted here, which made it a perfect place to meet Granger.

I sat on one of the three desks in the room and looked out the window. It was a gloomy fall day and I found myself wishing for sunlight. The door opened to my left and I looked over to see Granger entering and closing the door firmly behind her. "What is this place?" She asked, as though sensing my answer she clarified what she meant. "Obviously a practice room, but why is it so hidden, and how did you find it?"

"So many questions," She narrowed her eyes at me. "I found this room in second year I was trying to find the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, I looked behind every statue and tapestry, and found this place." I shrugged minutely. "I have no idea why this room is so far out of the way though." She set her things down on another desk and sat on it looking at me. I was the one who wrote asking her to come here, so I might as well start. "So, you were right." The sentence was tough to articulate. "The dream book was never for Pansy. I have been having dreams since this summer, same as you. It's very similar, if not exact to the dream that you've been having, and I would love to stop having it." I gathered what little courage I had to look at her. She was looking at me with an odd expression on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me this last week?" She asked. I looked away from her, down to my hands that were resting on my knees.

"It's not exactly a comfortable thing to admit to. We aren't friends Granger, I don't trust you and I'm sure you don't trust me. I've only admitted these dreams to one other person, and he is my most reliable confidant. I had to decide if it was worth the risk to tell you or not."

"Well, I guess you've told me now. Would you mind telling me about the dream from your perspective?" She slid off the desk and went to sit behind it pulling out some parchment. "I've charmed it so only I can read it, you don't need to worry about someone else finding it." I took a deep breath. I also got off the desk and brought a chair to the desk that she was at. I sat and quickly drew my wand, sending a locking spell on the door and a muffle on the room. It was well hidden, but, someone could still stumble across us.

"As I said, it's very similar to what you described. You're sleeping, you wake up, and I get this weird feeling like I need to protect you, that you've somehow completed my life. We kiss, and then we talk. You ask what I'm thinking, I ask about what. You tell me I'm not a killer, and then that I'm brave. We keep talking and you tell me that you'll help me. It gets, uh, more physical past that point and then a new development as of last night, at the end you say-"

"Your life is worth more than your charging right now." She finished the sentiment. I looked up at her in surprise. "So we are dream sharing." It seemed to answer something for her and she jotted some note down. "This is very rare." She continued scribbling something and then looked back up at me. "So, when did these dreams start for you, did something significant happen? They happened pretty much out of nowhere for me. My research indicates there had to have been a trigger for this in one of us."

"There are things I will not tell you Granger." I looked at her pointedly. She sighed.

"Draco, if we are going to figure this out, and help each other, you're going to have to trust me."

"I don't, and I can't tell you certain things about myself." She huffed out a breath.

"So, what do we do then? I'm unsure of you Draco, but, we need to work together here. I promise you that nothing you tell me in this room will be disclosed to anyone else, under any circumstances. I think that this dream is telling us that we need to help one another this year. I don't know what we can help each other with, or if any other part of that dream is valid, but, work with me here." I stayed quiet for a moment thinking hard about what to do.

"I would need some…assurances, if I was going to tell you anything personal about myself."

"What kind of assurance would you need?" She asked looking at me uncomfortably. I shrugged.

"You won't like any of the options I have for you."

"I'd be willing to do almost anything if it meant stopping these dreams Malfoy. They're driving me crazy, nothing keeps them at bay. I've tried dreamless sleep potion, I've tried meditating, and I've been to see Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore. There are no answers, that's why I came to you last week. If I even fall asleep for ten minutes there you are in my dreams. Doesn't it bother you?" She asked.

"Of course it bothers me Granger. I don't look forward to dreaming about you anymore than you do me. And I'm…worried, about where this originated from. There are no clairvoyants in my bloodline, which I know of, and I'm sure the same could be said for you." She nodded.

"That's accurate. So, what are these suggestions of yours?"

"Well, one, an unbreakable vow, which is the most secure option. Two, you take Veritaserum and give some dirt on you for black-mail purposes should you betray my trust. I'll take it too, and tell you the things I won't right now, to make it fair. Or three, I walk out of here now and we are both plagued with dreams that won't quit and go slowly insane - your pick Granger." I folded my arms and regarded her.

"May I point out some potential flaws in your options? Do you actually know someone capable of binding an unbreakable vow?" I nodded. She paled. "Do you know how to brew or acquire Veritaserum?" Again, I nodded. She looked anxious. "Who do you know that can bind a vow?"

"Pretty much anyone in Slytherin could do it. I'd probably get Blaise Zabini to do, I trust him implicitly."

"Where would you get the serum from?"

"I have some in my Dorm Room. We use it when we have parties – kind of a truth or dare scenario where you have no choice but to tell the truth. So, which one do you choose?"

"There is no other way you would consider doing this?" She asked - I shook my head no in response. "I see why you said the vow is more secure. I don't really relish being blackmailed by you. A vow though, could go wrong in so many ways. What would you make me swear to?" I thought for a moment.

"I would get you to swear that you would keep my secrets, that you would not tell another soul, living or dead what I divulge to you. I would make you swear that you will work with me until this dream problem is resolved, no matter what I reveal to you in the course of it. You can put in your own addendums and make me pledge vows as well." She thought on it.

"That's not unreasonable I guess, but, what if I need to tell someone your secret in order to help you." I shrugged considering it. "The only thing I would ask in return is that the same goes for you. You keep any secret I tell you as well." I nodded. We bent over the piece of parchment she had and tacked down the final wording. I glanced at my watch when we were finished noting it was lunch time.

"It's time for lunch. We can meet up here after and I'll bring Blaise with me. It's your last chance to back out of this."

"I'm not worried." She stated firmly, a classic Gryffindor response.

"Well I'll see you after lunch then." I exited the practice room first and took and long route down to the Great Hall. Blaise was already there and I sat next to him. "Blaise, you free after lunch?" I asked.

"Sure mate, what do you need me for?" I looked over at him after I had finished filling my plate.

"Why is it that you sound so suggestive all the time?" I asked him. He raised an eyebrow. "You always sound like you're hitting on whoever you talk to." I clarified. He laughed.

"I wasn't aware that I sounded like that. I promise I wasn't hitting on you Draco." He laughed and winked at me. I smirked harder and shook my head. "So, are you going to tell me what I need to be free for?"

"It's for something important. I'll fill you in on the way." Blaise always seemed to forget that other people could hear us in the Great Hall. We ate lunch in a companionable silence. When we finished I stood up and led the way out. I walked until we were in an obscure part of the castle and we hadn't passed anyone for about five minutes. "I need a huge favour from you. I need you to bind an unbreakable vow for me." He took a deep breath looking over at me.

"Is it Granger?" He asked. I nodded, he shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably. "I'd do anything to help you mate, you know that. Just, don't make her swear to anything unfair, I don't want to be responsible for her dying."

"It's just to protect myself Blaise. I won't do anything underhanded." He nodded in response; we had finally made it to the tapestry by the practice room. I drew it aside and ushered Blaise through. Granger was already there when we arrived.

"Hermione Granger, a pleasure." He sent a smile her way. I thought a saw a faint blush graze her cheeks at his obvious flirt. "So are you two ready?" He asked. I looked at Granger, she nodded. I cast a lock and muffle on the room again and stepped toward Granger. I held out my right hand. She reached out without hesitation and gripped my hand firmly. Blaise walked to us and drew his wand, placing it near our joined hands and nodding to me.

"Will you, Hermione, keep all information regarding me and my secrets divulged to you in the pursuit to end these dreams a complete secret from anyone and everyone – living or dead, unless I am in mortal danger and need you to divulge them?"

"I will." She kept direct eye contact with me the whole time. Magic shot out from Blaise's wand, it looked like fire, and it twined over our joined hands.

"Will you continue working with me to end these dreams no matter what secrets you may discover along the way?"

"I will." A second shot of magic.

"I promise in return that the effects of the curse will only last until the end of this school year, and that I will uphold any secrets I learn of you in this process. Do you agree?" I asked.

"I do." A final flame burst forth and joined the others over our wrists. It illuminated brighter for a moment before dying out.

"You two are officially bound. How does it feel?" Blaise laughed breaking the tension of the moment.

"It feels a little weird." Hermione admitted.

"It's a bit weird, yeah. Thank you Blaise you did a great job. I don't need to tell you to keep this to yourself?"

"Of course not mate. I'll leave you two to it then." He gave a small bow to Hermione and shot me a wink before unlocking the door and letting himself out. I relocked it and sat opposite of Hermione at one of the desks.

"Thank you for agreeing to do that. There was just no other way I could trust these secrets to you."

"I understand. It seems a bit extreme, but, thank you for adding that it will be up at the end of the year, and that you'll keep my secrets too."

"It was only fair, and what we had agreed to. Now I guess we should continue our conversation from this morning." She nodded.

"Okay, so I was asking you if there was any trigger to the dreams starting for you. So, was there?" I took a deep breath and nodded. I felt extremely vulnerable and apprehensive. I knew I didn't have a choice though. I took in another deep breath. I felt Granger's hand on my arm and looked up at her.

"Just calm down Draco, I can't and won't tell anyone what you're about to say. I promise that I won't freak out about whatever happened."

"I know Potter already suspects this." I gently shifted my arm out from under her hand. I rolled up the left sleeve of my sweater and laid my arm down on the desk. If she was shocked or revolted it did not show on her face. I heard her breath hitch a moment and feared how she would react.

"Sweet Merlin Malfoy!"

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 **AN:Okay chapter three! If ya'll are upset that I made them do an unforgivable vow and then bent it to my rules, sorry bout it. Haha! There is just no way Draco would open up about anything if there were any foreseeable ramifications. I looked up as much as I could about unforgivables, and found very little, and decided to just play with it myself. Besides that I'm digging this chapter, and am halfway through writing the next!  
**

 **I'll take this time to thank my reviewers since the last update - gabycullenblack and Moonsong78! I appreciate you! :)**

 **So you know what to do! Review, fav, and follow! More to come soon!**

 **~WS**


	4. Malfoy's Don't Cry

**AN: Things get a little...citrusy toward the end of this chapter. Nothing too graphic, but you've been warned!**

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4\. Malfoy's Don't Cry

I held my breath waiting to see what she would say next.

"Can I?" She asked uncertainly gesturing at my arm. She wanted to touch it? I thought it was kind of weird and didn't really want her touching me, but, if that was the only response she had I would acquiesce. I nodded. "Does it hurt?" Her fingers ghosted over the outline of the tattoo. I fought back a shiver.

"Not anymore, but when I first took the mark, yeah it hurt."

"Did it used to burn and wake you up?" She asked. I looked up at her; she was still looking at my arm in fascination.

"Yeah, it did. How did you know that?"

"It used to wake me up too…It was like a second hand pain, but your face would always contort. And then I'd be awake. This was the trigger for the dreams?" She asked. She finally stopped tracing the mark and looked up into my eyes. I nodded.

"The dreams started the night after I took the mark." She scribbled something down in her notes.

"Why did you take the mark?"

"It wasn't something I had control over. I took it so I wouldn't be killed." Granger seemed a bit taken aback by the response. "The Dark Lord has powers you couldn't fathom Granger. You don't cross him or go up against him and live, especially not when you're right in the middle of a Death Eater hive. I was threatened by multiple people to take this mark, or else."

"I'm sorry; I always thought if you took the mark it would be something that made you feel proud and important." I shrugged.

"When I was younger that's how I thought it would be. But, I grew up." She sighed and sat back.

"Do you mind if I call you Draco, just while we're alone. We're delving into some pretty personal stuff; it seems odd to refer to you by your surname."

"I don't mind." I did mind, but, I wasn't about to make things more difficult.

"So Draco, in the dream I say to you, you won't be able to kill Dumbledore. What is that about?"

"When you're marked, you are also tasked. That is my task." Her jaw dropped open, and I fought the urge laugh and close it for her.

"Well then, I stand by the words dream me said to you. You aren't a killer – sure you're sometimes a git, but, not a killer. And how are you supposed to best Dumbledore?" I sighed and looked out the window.

"I don't think I am supposed to. The Dark Lord is very upset with my father, you see?" He could see her quickly joining the dots of what I said.

"Lucius screwed up at the end of the last school year, and he's taking it out on you."

"Not just me, my mother too, If I fail this mission we're all dead. I don't want my Mother and Father to die from my cowardice or incompetency."

"Not killing Dumbledore doesn't make you a coward or incompetent Draco. It would make you brave. You have to let me help you."

"Help me? How would you help me?"

"There is an opposite force to the Death Eaters – the Order of the Phoenix, I know who runs it and who all of the members are. We can help you Draco, you just have to let us." I felt the first stirrings of relief since I had gotten the mark I bore on my arm.

"Why would they believe me? Why do you believe me?"

"Because you have no reason to lie to me right now, we share dreams every night; I trust you're telling me the truth. If you had me on your side it would help. They would have other ways to make sure you are telling the truth. Probably Veritaserum, and there are some skilled legilimens that work for them."

"I would agree to the Veritaserum as long as there were boundaries on the questioning. I'm a skilled occlumens, it's so ingrained in me it's second nature. I won't let someone into my mind. And I would want my parents to be safe as well. That is if I agree to this help." She was looking at me strangely.

"You're competent in Occlumency?"

"I'm more than competent."

"That's very impressive Draco. Harry had to try to learn it last year; he said it was very difficult." I shrugged.

"Learning it is hard, but once you have the hang of it, it gets easier. It's a discipline, nothing more than that."

"Why are you hesitant about help?"

"I don't know if it's what I want." She looked taken aback.

"Why wouldn't you want help?"

"I don't want to be a Death Eater or kill Dumbledore, but, I don't know if I want to fight for your side either." She sighed and looked down.

"You wouldn't have to fight with us. We can arrange the terms. I think we've done enough for today. Please think about what I've said Draco." I nodded. She gathered her papers up and thought for a second before holding them out to me. I was a little floored.

"You want me to keep these?" I asked. She nodded.

"I figured it might make you feel a little more…secure." I nodded unable to thank her for thinking of that. I took the papers which she had magicked blank and put them in my bag. "I'd like to meet up again tomorrow, try to pin down the origin of this dream business."

"Sure, I'll meet you here after lunch tomorrow?"

"Alright, that sounds fine." I flicked my wand unlocking the room and dropping the muffle. "See you tomorrow." She waved before exiting the room. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. It was weird spending time with Granger. It was even weirder telling her things about me, things that came out surprisingly easily when I talked to her. I felt insecure and weirdly empty. I carefully picked up my bag and left the room as well. I checked my watch, there was about an hour till dinner, so I headed outdoors. I took a deep breath when I got outside and tasted rain in the air. I looked at the thick cloud bank above me. I started wandering aimlessly. I ended up at the tree Blaise and I had sat on weeks before. I hoisted myself onto the branch and sighed. I rested my face in my hands and tried to sort through my feelings.

They were as confused as I was. Shock at how open I had been. Hope for maybe being able to escape the Dark Lord. There was an unexplainable feeling that I couldn't quite name centering on Granger. I was supposed to hate her. I hated her, didn't I? Why were there butterflies in my stomach when I thought of her fingers tracing the despicable mark on my arm? Why was I dreading and looking forward to tomorrow afternoon all the same? Too many questions and not enough will to sort through my feelings. I looked up at the sky just at raindrops started falling. Though I had wished for sunshine earlier in the day, I now found this rain much more fitting to my mood. I relished in the cool splashes that were hitting my face.

Suddenly I felt warm tears mixing in with the cold water and was shocked to find I was crying. I didn't know what for. But the tears increased and I tried to calm myself. Dinner would be starting soon, I'd have to go in, I didn't want tear tacks streaking down my face, or puffy eyes. Malfoy's didn't cry. I chalked it up to all of the talking I had done with Granger that day. I wasn't one to talk about feelings, or anything even close to that. I took a few breaths in and just tried to calm myself. Once I had managed to stop the tears I wiped a hand over my face and kept sitting in the rain for a few more minutes. Once I knew I had gotten myself under control I dropped down from the tree and walked swiftly back to the castle. I cast a quick drying spell on myself upon entering Hogwarts and made off for the Great Hall.

Pansy was sitting alone at the Slytherin table looking downcast. I sat next to her, and filled my plate with food. I took a couple of bites and looked over at Pansy. "What's the matter?" I asked her. She looked at me like she had just realized I was there. She sighed and played with her food for a moment.

"It's nothing important Draco. I've just been feeling…lonely lately." She pouted and rested her head on her hand. "You're busy all the time, Blaise doesn't want to spend time with me, Crabbe and Goyle are so thick that I'd be better off talking to a brick wall." She flicked her eyes up to mine and I smirked at the pitiful expression woefully worn on her face.

"Now, now Pans if you want to ask me to hang out with you, you can. No need for all the theatrics." She looked miffed at my comment. "Once I'm done eating why don't you come down to my dorm room with me? I could use some…stress relief." Pansy's eyes lit up. There was nothing she loved more than undivided attention. No matter how she got it. She was a good shag too, we dated on and off over the years before settling into the world's only working model of friends with benefits. We chatted amicably until I finished eating and then got up leaving the Great Hall together. I couldn't help my eyes scanning the Gryffindor table where Hermione was sat with dumb and dumber. She laughed at something Potter said, and I felt a weird twinge. I pulled my gaze back to Pansy. She slipped her arm through mine and looked up at me fluttering her lashes. I pulled her along quicker and soon enough we were in my dorm room. By sixth year Slytherin students got their own rooms. A perk I was only too happy to take advantage of.

"So, what have you been up to Draco? I hardly see you anymore." She asked after I locked us into my room.

"Just busy Pans, sorry if you've missed me." I grinned at her and pulled her closer to me. "Now do you want to talk about what I've been doing, or, do you want to do it?" She laughed at the stupid word play and pressed up against me. I brought my lips down to hers and shifted my hands to rest on her hips, my thumbs digging in lightly. Pansy had this habit of making mewling noises that always kind of put me off. Not enough to stop, but, all the same I wished she wouldn't make that noise.

I backed us toward my bed, shedding off clothes as we went. I pushed Pansy lightly onto the bed and she looked up at me seductively. I leaned down to her and kissed her, closing my eyes. My hands went into her hair, that for some reason I was imaging as brown and curly. I imagined the hand on my face was small and capable – more delicate than Pansy's hand. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and then opened them. For a moment I saw Granger beneath me, so I blinked again clearing my vision. It was just Pansy. "Are you okay, Dray?" She asked.

"I'm fine Pansy. I just got light-headed for a second." I assured before continuing to kiss her and run my hands over her body. Every time I closed my eyes Granger popped into my mind. It was the most frustrating thing I had ever experienced. But, it had been awhile since I had had any release, and it felt so good, frighteningly maybe even better because of the images in my head. I decided to stop thinking all together and just give Pansy everything I had.

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When we lay tangled together after, I tried not to dwell on the thoughts I had about Granger. I couldn't help them, and I wasn't about to think too hard about what me thinking of her in this situation meant. "That was brilliant Draco." Pansy mumbled from my chest. I smiled. "I'd better get going. Maybe I can help you de-stress again tomorrow?" She winked at me over her shoulder as she sat up. I laughed.

"Maybe Pans, thanks for tonight I needed it." She quickly dressed and then bent over me kissing me softly. I threaded my fingers into her hair and kissed her for longer than I normally would.

"Goodnight Draco." She whispered when she drew away. She left my room and I slapped my hands over my face. What was wrong with my brain? I wondered. I got up and cast a quick scourgify over my sheets and slid my trousers on, heading to the washroom at the end of the hall. I stepped into one of the shower stalls and turned the water up hot. I braced my hands against the shower wall and let the water pour over me. I knew now more than ever that something bizarre was happening with me. Perhaps Granger had just been sucked into some kind of malfunction with me.

Malfoy's didn't cry for no reason after having a conversation with someone. I never needed to fantasize witches I had previously despised to get off before. I was starting to scare myself. I tried to block out my thoughts as I washed the day from my body, I grabbed a towel slinging it around my hips and stepped out of the shower. Blaise was at his sink brushing his teeth as I emerged. He raised an eyebrow at me as I reached under my sink for my toiletries. "Did I see Pansy creeping out of your room earlier?" He asked after he spit his tooth paste out. I shrugged.

"Maybe you did, how do I know?"

"I thought you weren't going to have sex with her anymore?"

"She knows what it is. It's just sex Blaise. I know you're a one witch kind of guy, and you have to be serious about a girl to sleep with her, but, I don't feel that way."

"You're going to be complaining to me in a couple of days when Pansy won't leave you alone." He declared before throwing back some mouthwash and looking in the mirror again. I brushed my teeth and re-packed my things. "How did things go this afternoon?" He asked out of nowhere.

"They were fine. She took everything pretty well. We're meeting again tomorrow to try and source where the dream is coming from. Knowing that bookworm she'll have seven hundred theories by tomorrow afternoon."

"I think it' a good thing you did today." Blaise said, in a curiously serious tone for him. "You need to take control of these things before they take control of you." I thought back to some of my reactions throughout the day and felt a tinge of panic.

"It might be too late for that." I saw him raise an eyebrow at me. "Never mind mate. I'll see you tomorrow." I mumbled as I left the bathroom and locked myself in my room. I slid on some pajama pants and flopped face first onto my bed. Dreading the dream that I knew was to come. Everything followed in exact order right up until the weird charge comment one Granger's behalf.

 _"Your life is worth more than you're charging right now." She said solemnly. Laying her head on my chest and playing with the fingers of my right hand._

 _"I did something I shouldn't have today." My voice seemed to echo in the space. I was internally yelling at myself to shut up, but, I didn't listen. "Pansy came to my bed tonight." Granger seemed non-pulsed and just kept playing with my hand. I was hoping I would leave it at that. Nope. "I thought of you the entire time" Fuck. Her eyes shifted up to look at me._

 _"How was it?" I blinked a couple of times at the question. Keep your mouth shut Draco! I demanded._

 _"It was good, the idea of you made it better." Her eyes changed from their regular hazel colour to warm burnt honey shade and her pupils dilated. She stopped playing with my hand and dropped her hand onto my chest, slowly, and deliberately it glided down onto my stomach. She paused, a wicked smile paying over her lips. She dropped her eyes to her hand and slid it down further to my low belly. She stopped and looked back up at me._

 _"Don't do it again." She warned. I could feel my desire for her pulsing and so intense it was almost painful. "Draco." Her voice sounded far off, and hollow._

I awoke from my dream sweating and breathing hard. I was embarrassed. I knew that Granger would now know that one – I had slept with Pansy, two- had fantasied about her, and three – that I would wake up with a big problem on my hands. The only thing keeping me from dying of shame was that I had felt desire rolling off of her as well. So perhaps I wouldn't be the only one dealing with arousal that morning. I looked down at myself and sighed. I looked at the clock next to my bed. A problem I would have to solve quickly if I wanted to make breakfast.

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 **AN: Chapter Fouuuur! I'm on a rare roll with this story and actually loving the way it's unfolding. Poor emo Draco though. He doesn't know how to process these complex feelings. I've got a really amazing plot idea that I'm stoked to write. I've gotten pretty good feedback on this story lots of follows and favs. Thanks guys!**

 **Thank you to my reviewers since the last update - Bammerella, BunnyLady09,** **chapou69, and ASJS! It means a lot to me!**

 **So you know the drill review, fav, and follow! Thanks!**

 **~WS**


	5. Think of Hagrid

5\. Think of Hagrid

I rambled in a couple of minutes late for breakfast, but was relieved to see that there was still food on the table. I plopped down and quickly filled my plate eating swiftly. My eyes flicked up to the Gryffindor table, where Granger was sitting with her goons. I caught her staring at me and she flushed before looking back at Weasley and replying to something he said with a wrinkled nose. I resumed eating my food and looking down to my plate. Blaise sat across from unceremoniously and levelled a look at me. "Can I help you with something Blaise?" I asked.

"Please tell me why you screwed Pansy last night. I thought that it would send her annoyingly after you, but no, she was knocking on my door this morning." I held in a chuckle.

"She came looking for you this morning? What a blow to my ego." I smirked.

"She was…quite descriptive about what happened last night, and to say that it was pleasurable for her is an understatement. She thinks you've developed actual feelings for her. But, she wasn't sure, so she wanted me to have sex with her, because she feels similarly about both you and me. So the difference would be you, and she would be able to tell. If she felt you did have feelings for her, she then had to decide if she should encourage or rebuff them. She yammered on for forty minutes about you, your sexual prowess, and her feelings on it. Never sleep with that woman again, please." I couldn't help the laugh that boiled forth.

"Sorry mate. How can I possibly make this up to you?" I pretended to think for a moment. "Maybe I can shag you and the two of you can have an equal footed conversation on my sexual prowess that might help." He glared and me and flipped me off with his right hand.

"You're a complete git, I hope you know that." He sulked. I chuckled.

"I do know that. I'll talk to that crazy bint after breakfast and sort this out - unless you want to shag her first?" Another glare sent at me. I held my hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine, no more jokes. Sorry that Pansy wasted your time this morning." He looked a little less angry and stole a piece of bacon off of my plate.

"Since your talking to her anyway will you tell her to leave me alone?" He was going into full on Zabini pout mode.

"If that's what you want, I will." I took another forkful of eggs and a quick sip of juice before standing. I bent over the table and patted Blaise on his shoulder. "Don't sulk mate, I'll handle it." I got up and strode from the Great Hall, heading off toward the Common Room.

"Malfoy," I heard from behind me. I looked around and Granger was tailing me. She beckoned me toward an alcove that was covered by a tapestry. I rolled my eyes, but went to see what she wanted. "What the hell was that dream about last night?" She hissed once we were situated in the alcove. I shrugged and levelled a stare at her.

"Which part Granger? Although I will point out that it is a dream and therefore I have no control over what happens, just as you can't control what happens on your end." I'm positive a glint came into my eye for the next bit. "Unless you can control what you do in those dreams. What your hands do." I raised my eyebrows to punctuate the end of the sentence. She flushed a light pink at that.

"Of course I can't control that."

"So why are you getting mad at me? Like it was my choice to tell you the shit that I did? I would rather die than admit to what happened when I was having sex last night. But, this stupid connection we have takes away all my privacy. I'm not interested in you Granger if that's where this anger is coming from." Although seeing her this riled was admittedly pretty hot. She took a deep breath.

"I don't know, I don't know why I'm upset, I don't know what I thought talking to you would accomplish, but, here we are. I have something I need to look into before we meet up this afternoon. See you later." Before I had a chance to even process the words flying out of her mouth she was gone. A smirk spread itself out on my face. Pissing off Granger always made me a little giddy. But, I didn't even have to try for this one. I chuckled to myself as I slid the tapestry aside and left the alcove. I resumed my journey back to the common room, where Pansy was sulking on a couch near the fire. I sat next to her and slid my arm around her shoulders.

"Something wrong Pans? Let me re-phrase that. I know something is wrong because a big, angry Blaise sat himself across from me this morning at breakfast and told me that I had better deal with you." She looked up at me and sighed. She stood and took my hand, leading me to her room, where she perched on the edge of her bed. I sat across from her on the chair from her desk and waited for her to start talking.

"I know I shouldn't have gone to Blaise and did what I did. I'm sorry." She was looking down at her knees, looking weirdly fragile. I reached forward and put my hand over hers waiting until she looked up at me.

"I think you need to apologize to Blaise yourself. Now what's going on Pansy, this isn't like you." Pansy was not an emotionally outward girl, not if she was feeling sad anyway.

"You weren't yourself last night either she pointed out." It was very astute for Pansy. I sighed heavily.

"No, I wasn't. I'm going through some real shit right now Pansy, some of the things I don't even know how to comprehend, and they make me behave oddly. I don't think last night was a good time for me to have sex with you, but, I did it anyway. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry." She mumbled. "Last night was…amazing Draco. Truly the best you've ever been, it was almost like you felt something more for me. More than the friendly affection that we have, and – the whole time…" Her sentence petered out and she looked away from me. I squeezed her hand, encouraging her. She drew in a deep breath. "I was thinking of someone else the whole time. And you were – loving me for the first time." The impact of her words exploded on my ears and made me feel indescribably scared and out of control. The only thing keeping me together was the fact that Pansy was sitting in front of me. I didn't know quite what to do.

"Pansy…I think we've had some confusion over last night. I don't mind that you were thinking of someone else. I don't love you, not like that. Last night…I was in my head, I had the weirdest day imaginable yesterday, and I was grateful to you for giving me a distraction. I promise Pans it wasn't that deep." She looked a little relieved.

"Can I ask you something?" She whispered. I nodded. She leaned forward and placed her hand over my left arm. "When did that happen?" She seemed sad about it. I silently berated myself for forgetting about it, both with Pansy and in the bathroom the night before.

"This summer, I totally forget about covering it up." The second part was more of a self-scolding than anything else. "It's not what I wanted Pans, you know that. But, there was nothing I could do." She gently rolled my sleeve up and pressed a gentle kiss to the horrid tattoo.

"I'm sorry Drake." A name she hadn't called me since we were children.

"I'm fine." She shot me a look. "I promise. I'm dealing with it. Now back to you. Who's the guy?" Her cheeks pinked the tiniest bit.

"I don't know if you know him…Marcus Belby." I was a little shocked.

"Belby, huh? That's and interesting choice, not one I would have pegged you for." She shrugged and looked down to our joined hands again.

"He was tutoring me in Charms last year, and he's just so nice, and very intelligent. I've been unsure about going for it, but, after last night, I think I maybe should."

"Ouch, way to hurt a man's pride," I joked.

"I always thought you and I would fall in love at school, and get married, and our parents would be happy. But, I don't think that we're meant to be."

"I don't think so either Pansy, I will always be there for you as a friend though." She nodded. I stood and kissed her cheek softly before exiting the room. I made my way over to my own room and gathered up everything I would need for meeting with Granger after lunch and promptly left my room again. I went outside where the rain from yesterday had cleared up and the sun was brightening the world. The air was still cool, and it felt like a perfect autumn day. I took a walk, with nowhere specific in mind just enjoying the fresh air. It seemed a shame that most of the castle was indoors on a day like this. I ended up by the lake, as I usually did, and sat with my back against a tree, watching the sun glitter off of the water prettily. One of the giant squid's tentacles broke the surface of the water before submerging itself again. I drew a book out of my bag. It was one that I was hoping would help me fix the vanishing cabinet. I opened the book carefully, and resumed where I had left off reading. The afternoon wore on and I grew drowsy. The weather was perfect. I nodded off to sleep.

* * *

 _Hermione's had sliding from my chest downward. Her eyes flicking back up to me, biting her lip as her hand inched father and father south._ I woke up with a gasp, breathing heavily. Fuck it. I couldn't even take a nap undisturbed by thoughts of that witch. There was a splashing noise by the water and I looked up to see a couple of younger students playing in the shallows. I took a moment to think of the least provocative thing I could – Hagrid, and gave myself a minute to calm the unpleasant after dream erection I had woken up with. I was really starting to get irritated. At least when I used to dream about Granger I didn't have to worry about waking up with a throbbing appendage.

Thinking of Hagrid easily cured me of my problem and I looked down at my watch. I had missed lunch, but just. I got to my feet and hurried off toward the school. I quickly dashed off to the South tower, and then to the hidden practice room. Unsurprisingly Granger was already there. "Sorry I'm late; I fell asleep out by the lake."

"It's fine I only just got here." I put my stuff down and drew a chair across from Granger, I pulled out the parchment that she had given me yesterday. She tapped it muttering a spell under her breath that I couldn't quite catch.

"Are you still mad at me Granger?" I asked, fighting a smirk.

"No, I'm upset with myself for this morning, it was, ridiculous. Anyway, I was thinking last night about how the dreams started after you got marked, and I headed to the library into the restricted section to see what books we have on dark hexes and curses. It's a lot, but I narrowed it down to the ones I needed." She hefted a large tome out of her bag and set it on the table. "So, last night while you were busy humping Parkinson, I was doing research." I rolled my eyes.

"Get over it Granger! What's with this attitude, are you jealous?"

"Jealous?" Her voice was shrill in response. "What on Earth would I have to be jealous of?"

"Well probably just the fact that I've had sex in general. But, every girl loves a bad boy, don't they Granger?" I looked at her smoulderingly. "You're probably jealous that it was Pansy and not you." Her face was turning more and more scarlet by the moment.

"I don't know why I ever thought this could work." She snapped at me. "You're still just a bratty, self-important Slytherin!"

"Wow, I can't remember the last time I was called 'bratty' you've completely devastated me Granger."

"Listen Malfoy, I'm not interested in you! I've lost more sleep than I can count over this stupid dream business, I'm constantly on edge. And I'm miffed because last night while I was working on solving this you were just worried about yourself. I had hoped when I proposed we work together on this that you would actually be useful. But I, clearly, was wrong." She huffed a bit at the end of her tirade and sat back with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Maybe you'd forgotten Granger, but I have more on my mind than just this irritating dream business. When an opportunity to relieve some of my stress comes along, I'm not turning my nose up at it. Since last night caused the dream to get a little more handsy," I looked pointedly at her. "Waking up from it is a right bitch too. But I suppose you know that. Maybe that's why you're so grouchy? Pent up sexual energy? You could employ one of your goons to fix that for you. I'm sure Potter or Weasley would be only too happy to help." She looked like she was about to break something, perfect! "Or just deal with it yourself, or are you too pure to touch yourself?"

"This is absolutely ridiculous. I didn't come here to get made fun of by you. You want this dream to keep happening, then fine, that's on you. I'm not putting up with your bullshit for a second longer." She got to her feet and started jamming things into her bag. It ripped and everything fell from it, scattering across the floor. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Never mind I'll come back for this after you've left." She turned on her heel to go, and I grabbed her hand. "Let go of me Malfoy."

"No," I pulled her around to face me and shook my head. "This is going to be awkward and ridiculous at times Granger. My dream self seems to be a big blabber mouth and yours seems to be pretty randy. Things are going to happen in the dreams that will make during the day, awake us very uncomfortable. If we just get mad at each other and lash out every time this happens we aren't going to get anywhere here. Now, I'm sorry that I was just being an asshole. It's part of my charm. Please take into consideration that this dreaming business, as you put it, has taken just as much sleep and sense from me as it has you. I won't be so callous again. Forgive me?" She looked at me angrily for a minute before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Yes, I'll forgive you. You can let go of me now." She looked pointedly at where I was still squeezing her hand.

"Let's get your stuff cleaned up and you can tell me what that huge slab of a book has to say about the dreams." I dropped to the ground and started collecting up all of Granger's spilled crap. She quickly cast a spell repairing her bag, and packed her stuff neatly away. Once we were sitting across from each other again Granger folded her hands in front of her.

"Before we start in on my theory as to why these dreams are happening, did you think about my offer of getting help?" She asked. I nodded.

"I mean, I don't really see what other option I have at this point." I shrugged. She smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that. We could either go see Dumbledore, or an option that would make you feel a little bit more comfortable, you could go talk to Snape." I furrowed my brows.

"Snape is a Death Eater Granger; he comes to meetings and chuckles over all of the Dark Lords dastardly plans. I thought you would've known that.

"He's a double agent Draco; he works for the Order of the Phoenix."

"Does he really?" I asked, absolutely shocked by the admission. That didn't mean I could implicitly trust him. Only he would really know what side he was an agent for. She nodded. "Well maybe I'll talk to him sometime this week, if I don't feel he can be trusted, I'll go to Dumbledore with you. Remember though if we go to Dumbledore I have to do all of the talking. You'll die otherwise." She paled a bit remembering the vow. "And when I go to Snape I can't mention you or its curtains for me. I'll need to contact my mother; we had a Dumbledore plan in place for this upcoming weekend. I'll need to cancel on it somehow." Granger looked taken aback.

"What's the plan?"

"I'm meeting up with a family friend to get a cursed necklace. I was going curse another student and get them to bring the necklace to Dumbledore." She didn't say anything. "I know it's a shitty plan Granger. I'll just write her on Thursday or something and tell her I'm ill and can't make it to Hogsmeade, or that they've set up more security by the school and I think the plan would fail anyway." I shrugged. "Enough of this, tell me what you found out."

"It's pretty crazy Draco." She lifted the lid of the book. We heard a scuffling noise outside the classroom and froze. "Shit," She whispered. "What do we do?"

* * *

 **AN: DUN DUN DUN! Doesn't everybody love a good cliffhanger? I'm beyond impressed with my upload schedule! :) I'll admit that verbal spats are some of my favourite things to write, so there might be quite a bit of fighting banter, because it is SO fun for me, and I like the way that the two of them respond to it, with it exciting Draco and thoroughly razzing Hermione. I also want to take this AN to tell you guys that I'm hoping to make this more of a slow burn between Draco and Hermione. I always plan for slowly simmering romances and then throw that plan out the window as soon as my characters get even remotely close. But I feel like Dramoine's make more sense with slow burns. So I'm going to try my best! Sorry if you were hoping for immediate action, it's just not going to happen.  
**

 **Thanks to my reviewers since the last upload - My guest reviewer, cheyeneb, ASJS(I was laughing the entire time I wrote the last bit of 4), emjrabbitwolf, and nicolemae666! You guys rule, reviews make my day!**

 **As always you know the drill! Review, Fav, and Follow ! Thanks for reading!**

 **~WS**


	6. Help

6\. Help

I flicked out a lock and muffle from my wand. "Erase that parchment and put that book away. I pulled out my potions book that thankfully I had with me, and pulled out notes on the last potion we had been working on. I lifted the muffle charm so we could hear what was happening outside the room. It sounded like a physical altercation for a moment, and then I figured out what it was. "I think we're fine, it sounds like Hannah and Justin." She listened for a moment and the wrinkled her nose.

"What are we supposed to do?" I shrugged.

"Go stand in that corner and I'll get rid of them." Granger stood up and moved out of sight from the door. I got up and quickly unlocked the door before making sure to poke only my head out of the door. "Oi, you two, I'm trying to study in here, you better clear off before I dock house points!" Hannah made a squealing noise and quickly covered herself with her hands while Justin yanked his pants up. "I'll be talking to Sprout about this, I've caught you two mucking about the castle one too many times. " Justin looked upset and a little scared as I closed the door. I leant against it laughed silently as I listened to the fighting starting between the pair. Once Hannah was attired enough for them to move on they did. I looked over to Hermione who was still looking a bit shaken in the corner. "C'mon Granger, it's fine, they're gone." I re-locked the door, but decided to keep the muffle off so we wouldn't be surprised by anyone again.

"Are you actually going to report them to Sprout?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, but scaring them a little can't hurt, maybe they'll stop fucking in the hallways – disgraceful." I kept the potions book out, just in case, and Granger hefted the book we had been about to discuss back up onto the desk. "So, what have you discovered?" I asked. She opened the book about a quarter of the way through and flicked through a couple of pages.

"Basically, I think that the dreams are a direct result of you getting the dark mark. Now, I know it seems obvious because this all started after you took the mark, but, if what you told me yesterday is true…" She trailed her sentence off and pointed to a passage in the book. I got up and walked around the desk to be able to read it. I leant over the desk reading carefully.

 _A dark curse given under coercion can result in disastrous consequences. If an individual has taken on magic they never wished for their subconscious can start to lead them a way to resolve it. For instance, when one of the people I interviewed in research for this book took the black spot under direct orders from his captain – he started hallucinating. His hallucinations told him that he needed to find the one with the elixir. The hallucinations became more and more frequent the closer he got the 'one with the elixir'. Oftentimes the brain is the main effected component of an unwilling cursee._

As I finished reading the passage I realized how close I was to Granger. I could smell her hair I was so close. I took in a quiet breath before drawing back and going to my side of the table. "What's the black spot?" I asked.

"It's a curse that a pirate wizard invented centuries ago. If you took the black spot, fortunes would abound – but, you would also likely be killed after finding said fortune. So in the case they describe in this paragraph the captain of the ship wanted to find a fortune, but didn't want the potential death that came with it. So he ordered one of his inferiors to take the mark instead."

"So then you believe that I'm in the same situation, but, instead of hallucinations I'm having dreams?" She nodded. "Why would it affect you as well then?" She blew out a breath.

"I'm still trying to work that out. There is no mention in the book of the second party being affected by the cursing. I think it's stranger still that it's a dream. If this theory is correct it makes me wonder if the dreams will ever stop. All of the curses listed in here are ones that will either dissipate or you die, I don't believe that the mark ever fully disappears." I tried not to feel overwhelmed.

"Let's just take a step back here Granger. I think what you're proposing makes sense. I did not want the dark mark or the consequences that followed, so my subconscious – boosted by the curse was pointing me toward a solution – you. You needed to know that the dreams were happening because I wouldn't have come to you first. That's some wild leap in this magic if that's what it is. I don't think the resolution is the mark disappearing, just that I don't have to obey the Dark Lord anymore. So – maybe after I get help the dreams will cease." She shrugged.

"Maybe, I hope that's the case. If it's not we just have to keep working toward figuring out a solution." I nodded.

"So, now that we have an idea where this stemmed from and how we're planning on fixing it, now what?"

"I'd still like to keep researching; so that we are prepared if just getting you help doesn't work. I have this other book on curses." She hefted a slightly smaller tome onto the table. "You could start reading through that, and I'll keep going through this book, maybe we can find more information on this." I nodded taking the book and placing it into my bag.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go see if Snape can chat. I don't feel I can totally trust him yet. Can we meet up tomorrow?" She nodded. She pulled a schedule out of her bag and ran her eyes over it.

"We have patrol together tomorrow night up on seventh. We can talk then. If you really need to talk to me before then and now I'll be in the library between classes." I nodded. I made to stand when I felt her hand on my arm. I looked over at her questioningly. "I'm sorry too, about today. I overacted and kind of caused the fight in the first place. I agree that finding out things about each other that we wouldn't want to know is par for the course. I'll try to be more…patient with this whole thing. Um, this is awkward to bring up – but, these dreams are…changing the way I think about you, and clouding my judgement where you're concerned. I think we should also promise each other that we will keep this one hundred percent platonic." She was getting more embarrassed by the moment and I felt this weird pang in my chest.

"Granger, I won't lie, the dreams are changing my perception of you too. But, we both need to remember that before this dream business, we hated each other. Even calling us friends is a bit of a stretch. I'm not interested in anything romantic with you, even if the dreams are telling me otherwise. I'll promise to keep my hands to myself if you do. I get what you're saying though. If I start feeling something different while I'm awake it's just something we'll need to talk through. Agreed?" She nodded her head, she looked grateful that I had taken over that conversation. "And I forgive you for freaking out today too. This is new, and extremely weird, I think we both need to afford patience to this situation. I'll see you tomorrow evening." I got up, slinging my bag over my shoulder and left the practice room. I slowly started making my way toward the dungeons, reflecting on what had just happened. There was too much new information swirling around in my brain.

I got to Snape's classroom and knocked on the door. Snape called that I should enter, so I did. He was grading papers at his desk and looked up when I came in. "Draco, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The way his voice always seemed to pour out of his mouth slickly often gave me the chills.

"I need to talk to you professor. Is now I good time?" He set his quill down and regarded me.

"Now is fine." He picked up his wand. He brought a chair forward for me to sit on and then sat back, watching me carefully. "What can I do for you?"

"You know about this?" I asked indicating my left arm. He nodded. "And do you know what he wants me to do?" Again he nodded. "I only have one more question," He inclined his head. "Are you working for the Oder of the Phoenix, or are you a Death Eater?" His face showed no flicker of surprise or anxiety as he regarded me for a moment.

"How did you find out about the Order?" He asked eventually.

"That's not important. What is important is your answer." I levelled back.

"It appears you already know information that could destroy me Draco. I work with the Order. When I was acquitted of being a death eater all those years ago, it was true. Dumbledore saved me, I owe him for that."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked.

"I have no reason to lie to you Draco. I've always looked out for you and tried my best to help you. I was hoping you would come to me about your dark mark. I can help you Draco. I'll tell you something, something I would only divulge if the need was great, which I think it is. Your mother came to me just before the start of the school year. I've made an unbreakable vow to help and protect you. Tell me what I can do!" I was taken aback at the statement. For some reason I didn't question the validity, just looked at this man in awe.

"Why would you do that for me?" I whispered. The words were trying to stick in my throat.

"The Dark Lord is a vengeful man. I don't think he should have taken Lucius' failure out on you. The task he has given you is next to impossible. What sort of man would I be if I rejected your mother's plea to help you?" I blinked a couple of times, trying to process yet more new information.

"I need help. I don't want to do this. I don't want this mark, and I don't want my parents die. Can you help me?" He nodded.

"Of course I will help you. I'll message the headmaster he'll want to meet with you. Have you made any progress towards your task so far?" I shook my head.

"They were trying to get me to mend the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement, but, I haven't been able to. And my mother and I had a plan for next weekend. She was going get a friend to come into Hogsmeade with a cursed necklace, and I was going to bewitch another student to get it to Dumbledore. I couldn't think of a suitable way to do this, I didn't want to. He's holding my parent lives over my head."

"Don't worry about that Draco, we'll figure everything out. I'm sorry that you were put through this in the first place. Your mark, does it hurt?" He asked.

"Not anymore, when I first got it, it did." He held his hand out wanting to see the mark. I rolled up my sleeve and place my arm in his hand.

"It will probably hurt more often after the fact that you've defected comes out. I'll give you some Stargrass Salve; it's got healing, soothing properties. It won't completely alleviate the pain, but it should soothe it a bit." He paused and looked at me. "I'm proud of you Draco. This was very brave." I felt my eyes pricking for some reason.

"There was no choice." I muttered.

"Let me send a message to Dumbledore, see if he is available to talk right now." I nodded. Snape got up and disappeared into his potions cupboard. He was gone for about ten minutes. He came back with something in his hand and sat across from me again. He held the jar out and I took it. "That's the Stargrass Salve. Keep it safe." I nodded. "The Headmaster can see us after dinner. Does that work for you?" I nodded.

"Thank you, professor."

"Anytime Draco, I'm glad you came to me for help. See you this evening." I nodded and hurried from the room. I went down to my dorm room quickly and stashed the salve somewhere safe before leaving again and heading for the library. I had hoped I could find Granger there. I scanned to room with eyes, and not seeing her decided to look more closely. I went to the right and started combing through the library. Just over half way through I found her sitting with Potter, talking him through something. She looked up and I signalled that I needed to talk to her. She nodded and moved a couple of rows over. A couple of minutes later she showed up and raised an eyebrow.

"Can you come to Dumbledore's office with me after dinner?" I asked. Her eyebrows shot up. A small smile graced her moth.

"Yeah, of course I can."

"Good, thank you!" She nodded. I was about to leave and she out a hand stopping me.

"I'm proud of you Draco." That weird prickle in my eye again. I nodded. "See you after dinner." She whispered. I nodded. I traipsed back down to the dungeons and my dorm room. I slowly sat on my bed and took a deep breath. Today had been a lot, and it wasn't over yet. I pulled out the book that Granger had given me and started flicking through it. I had no idea that Hogwarts would have stuff on dark magic like this. I spent the time between leaving the library and the start of dinner engrossed in the book. Learning things I had never known before. Nothing that would help me, but interesting nonetheless.

Finally dinner rolled around and I made my way to the Great Hall. I sat and put some food on my plate, not really caring what it was, knowing I wouldn't taste it. I must have been giving off a leave me alone vibe as no one tried to sit near me. Dinner seemed to drag, but, at long last it was over. I looked over to the Gryffindor table; Hermione looked away as I looked up. Snape approached me, and I looked up at him. "Are you ready to go Draco?" I nodded. We stood and walked from the Hall. We made our way up to the seventh floor. Half-way up Granger hurried up to us. Snape raised an eyebrow at me.

"I asked her to come. It's a long story that I can't really tell you right now." Snape didn't say anything else, but kept walking, a bit ahead of Granger and me. She looked over and sent me a small smile.

"Are you nervous?" She asked.

"A bit, but there's no going back now." She nodded.

"It'll all be fine Draco; you'll feel better when it's over." I appreciated her trying to comfort me. Even though there was no comfort to be had in this moment. We rounded the corner onto the corridor that housed Dumbledore's office. I took a deep breath. My feet got heavier the closer we drew to the office. I heard Snape utter the password for the office and struggled for breath. Suddenly I was aware of a weight on my hand I looked down to see Granger squeezing my hand. "Just breathe; this is going to be fine." I nodded forcing myself to breathe, somehow grounded by Granger's hand in mine.

* * *

 **AN: Hola! I had to get those two notorious Hufflepuff's in here one last time :P! Lotsa big stuff happening in the chapter and a ton of big stuff planned for the rest of the story. Lol Hermione held Draco's hand and now my brain wants to hurl them into a steamy situation in the next chapter - but I won't! Thank you guys for showing this story a lot of love, it means a lot to me!**

 **Thanks to my reviewers since the last update - a guest reviewer, emjrabbitwolf, and ASJS! I appreciate your reviews!  
**

 **Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! Let me know by(you guessed it) Reviewing, favving, and following this fic!**

 **~WS**


	7. I get so Emotional

7\. I get so Emotional

Stepping into Dumbledore's office Snape, Granger and I all walked forward. Dumbledore was sat behind his desk with his elbows on the desk, fingers steepled. We all took seats across the desk from him, and he looked over at Granger before he started. "I'm a little surprised to see you here Miss Granger."

"Draco and I have been working together on something recently, he asked me to be here." Dumbledore smiled in a mystifying way before nodding. He sat back in his seat.

"So, Mister Malfoy, I'm up to speed on your situation. You wish to leave the ranks of the Death Eaters?"

"I never wished to be part of them, sir. I don't feel that the task asked of me was fair, and I've been set up to fail a master I didn't wish to follow." He nodded.

"I've thought at length about your situation and how best to keep you safe. I think it best if you play along with the plan until the end of the school year. We can invent attempts on my life, and excuse you to stay here over the holidays, but, I think if you declare a defection it would be very dangerous for you." I thought about what he was saying, and I supposed he was right. "Professor Snape and I will help you through this school year, and this summer we will have you moved to an Order stronghold. Miss Granger, I assume that you would be willing to vouch for Mister Malfoy's intentions?" She nodded. "Would you go so far as to take responsibility for him?" She sat and thought for a moment.

"I'm not technically part of the Order, sir."

"No, but I have no doubt you will be." His voice was calm as ever. "Draco will need support not only from the members of the Order, but his peers as well. Will you take responsibility for him?" Again, she paused to think.

"Yes sir, I would be willing to take responsibility for Draco."

"Very well, is there any objection to this by you, Draco, or you, Severus?" I didn't want to be under Hermione's jurisdiction, but I knew I was in no place to demand things at the moment.

"The only thing I would contest is me not going home for the holidays. It won't be fun, but I could gather information that way. Other than that I have no objection – I do wonder what you mean by Hermione taking responsibility for me. What would that entail?" Dumbledore looked to Snape to see if he had anything to add. He stayed silent.

"If you wish to go home for the holidays I would not stop you. That's up to your judgement. Hermione taking responsibility for you would just be simply that she made sure you were taken care of in the order, and that if you did do something to hurt the order, it would fall on her to dole out the consequences. But, I don't believe you would do something like that Mister Malfoy. The only thing I would ask of you is that you come back later in the week for a brief questioning under Veritaserum. You can come alone, or bring whomever you may wish to bring for support. Are they any questions from anyone?" He asked.

"My parents…they're caught up in this as well. I want to make sure they won't be harmed because of my actions. Will you help them as well?"

"If they are willing to receive help of course Mister Malfoy. We can have your mother moved at the end of the year, and work on getting your father released and moved as well. I will send Severus to talk to them." Snape nodded from beside me. "I appreciate the sacrifice you are making here Draco, it does not go unnoticed." I supposed that was Dumbledore code for 'thank you'. "I will see you later this week Mister Malfoy. Please, enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone. We all stood and filed out of the office and down the stairs, back out to the hallway. Snape turned to me.

"You did well Draco, you should be proud of yourself." I nodded weakly. "Things will get easier now, you'll see." He put a hand on my shoulder in a fatherly way and gave me an attempt at a smile.

"Thank you for your help professor, it means a lot to me." He nodded once swiftly.

"I'll be off then, please come and see me if there is anything you need." I nodded and watched as he billowed off down the hallway, chiding a second year for loitering as he went. I looked to Hermione, she almost looked frozen.

"Are you alright Granger?" She met my gaze and nodded.

"I thought that might go a bit differently. The plan does make sense to keep you safe though. I – I don't know how I feel about being responsible for you, but, he must have had a reason for that." I shrugged.

"Thank you for agreeing, I'm not sure what would have happened if you didn't."

"It's no problem. We can talk more about this later. I think it's going to be an early night for me. Today has me knackered." I nodded. Just then I saw Potter and the weasel rounding the corner like they were on a mission.

"Just what's going on here?" Weasley demanded stupidly. Granger rolled her eyes and I clenched my jaw.

"Are you spying on me Harry?" She asked looking at a piece of paper clutched in his hands. I could see dots roving around on it. But I wasn't too sure what it was. She sounded pissed.

"You've been missing for most of the last two days and were acting dodgy, yes I checked up on you." Potter replied.

"What I do isn't your business boys."

"It is when we see you spending a majority of your time with Malfoy! So what's going on?"

"Well if you were looking at your map you would have seen that we were just up in the Headmaster's office with Dumbledore and Snape, so, obviously nothing too crazy." Hermione bit back.

"Well this afternoon you two were holed up in a room together for a while. What was that?" The Weasel shot. I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.

"You've discovered our secret boys. We're madly in love. Shagging every chance we get, it's flattering that you chaps think I have that kind of staying power." Weasley turned a shade red henceforth unseen – verging on carmine and sputtered, while Potter's jaw dropped open. Granger had a smirk playing around her mouth, and looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Is that honestly what you gits thought we were doing?"

"We both know that Hermione finds you repulsive." Weasley spat. I smirked.

"Now, repulsive is a strong word there weasel. I don't think any woman truly finds me repulsive, but I understand that you mean by a personality stand-point rather than a physical one. If you aren't concerned about us shagging what are you so enraged about?" I questioned. Dumb and dumber looked at each other flabbergasted. "Get back to me when you work that one out. Or wait, don't I don't a give a fuck. I'll see you for rounds tomorrow Granger, good evening." I gave a tip if my head in Granger's direction and set off down the hall. I would probably be in a worse mood if it wasn't for the two 'golden boys' giving me some entertainment. I walked with measured steps down to the dungeons and let myself into the Common Room. I headed into my dorm room and sank onto my bed. I took a deep breath spreading my hands over my face and trying to decompress. The emotions I had were half relief, half worry. I didn't know if I had truly made the right choice today. But, I couldn't go back now. A knock at the door surprised me.

"Come in," I called. The door opened and Blaise stood on the other side. He closed the door and sat on my desk chair, facing toward my bed. "What's up Blaise?" I asked.

"Nothing," He shrugged. "Just thought I'd check on you you've been missing since breakfast. How'd your talk with Pansy go?" I smirked.

"I don't think either of us have to worry about Pansy for a while. She fancies someone else, and was feeling conflicted about it. That's why she was acting like such a terror this morning. And I've just been busy today mate." Blaise visibly relaxed.

"That's a relief. What have you been busy with?" He asked.

"Mostly dream shit with Granger. She thinks my body is rebelling against this cursed magic because I didn't want it."

"Do you think she's right?" He asked. I shrugged.

"It sounds pretty plausible. We're both reading a little bit more on the subject, and I did some stuff today that might rid us of the dreams all together, but, I guess I'll find out when I go to sleep tonight." I sighed and sat up. "I'll probably get ready for bed now; it's been a long day." Blaise followed me to the bathroom. He got out his toiletries as well and started brushing his teeth alongside me.

"Are you just tired mate, you seem a little…off?" Blaise asked when we had finished brushing our teeth. I washed my face and looked at myself carefully in the mirror before answering his question. There were bags under my eyes, and some stress lines that hadn't been there at the beginning of the year. I'd lost weight under the mountain of responsibility I had. I felt…insubstantial.

"I feel flimsy Blaise. Like – a malleable blob. I don't know what to think most of the time. I'm just going through actions trying to survive." It was the first time I had admitted how lost I felt. I closed my eyes and gripped the edge of the sink in front of me. I felt Blaise's hand on my shoulder, steady and reassuring.

"We're all trying to survive Draco. Nasty business what's happening in the world right now, but, you're doing the best you can. I admire you mate." There were actual tears building in my eyes. I took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes Blaise looked a little taken aback by the tears but pulled me into a quick, strong hug. When he stepped back he slapped my shoulder. "You've got this. I know you have Draco. Chin up." I blinked a couple more times, clearing the moisture from my eyes and nodded at him.

"Thank you Blaise, it means a lot to me to know you're here for me." He nodded.

"I always will be mate." I sucked in a breath, finally stemming the tears. I turned around and we left the bathroom. "Night Draco!" Blaise called going into his room. I got back to the sanctuary of my room and cast a locking charm on the door before flopping into my bed. I curled onto my side under the covers and it wasn't long before sleep overtook me.

 _"Your life is worth more than you're charging right now." She said solemnly. Laying her head on my chest and playing with the fingers of my right hand. I closed my hand over hers and rested it on my chest. I sighed. She looked up at me._

 _"This is hard." My voice echoed out of my mouth. "I can't know if what I'm doing is the right thing or not. I feel like a mess."_

 _"I know what you mean." Her voice sounded distant. "This has become far more than I ever knew it would." She buried her face in my shoulder for a moment. "I don't have any doubts that if we work together we can make it through this." My hand drifted to play with the ends of her hair._

 _"It's odd working with you." The statement seemed to suspend itself in the air and then fall over us like a blanket._

 _"We've been on opposite sides of life for six years. It'll get easier. We will learn to trust each other eventually. I thought it was funny how you stymied Ron and Harry." I felt the edge of her lip quirk up where it was resting against my skin. I smiled too. She let a laugh loose. "Ron was furious after you walked away. They're both still badgering me about what we're doing together. I don't know how to shake them off of this."_

 _"It's not their business, as you said." Her hand curled against my chest._

 _"They're my best friends Draco. As annoying and ridiculous as they can be sometimes they still mean everything to me." I felt a flare of possessiveness flare through me and pulled her closer to me._

 _"We can't tell them."_

 _"I know we can't." She curled deeper into my side and sighed. We lay there silently together and just let emotions wash around and over us like waves in an ocean._

I blinked my eyes open a couple of times. I was thankful that the dream wasn't steamy, but, annoyed that it was still occurring. I got the sense that Granger was feeling very melancholy about something and wondered what it could be. I closed my eyes for a couple more minutes and glared at my alarm when it went off. I pulled myself from my bed and quickly unlocked my door, heading for the washroom. I got ready for the day before heading back to my room to dress in my uniform and robes and grabbed my books that I would need for the day. I made my way to the Great Hall. I didn't really pay attention to what I put on my plate before taking a couple of bites. My eyes flicked up of their own accord to the Gryffindor table. Granger was sitting with Potter, and Weasley seemed to be glaring at them from where he sat with his sister farther along down the table. Granger caught my eye for a moment before looking back down at her plate. I looked back down as well, and finished my breakfast.

* * *

I approached the seventh floor landing and saw Granger already waiting there for me. I checked my watch, I wasn't late. She looked up as she heard me approaching. "Granger," I inclined my head in greeting.

"Malfoy," She nodded back. We set off walking together. "It should be a pretty quiet patrol tonight, Monday's are always quiet." She commented not long after we started walking. I nodded.

"I think everyone hates Monday's and just waits for them to be over."

"Yeah," She agreed. "I don't mind Monday's. I always feel really organized at the beginning of the week."

"You're a little strange Granger." She chuckled.

"I know. Can I ask you something?" I looked over at her; she was looking ahead rather than at me.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Did you feel weird about the dream last night?" I glanced around out of habit.

"It was less disconcerting than the night before, but, yeah it was weird. I was hoping they would have stopped, but, no such luck. Were you sad last night?" The question tumbled from my mouth without a thought. She looked over at me and regarded me seriously for a moment.

"I got in my head last night. I was…trying to see this situation through your perspective. I can't really imagine how hard it must be to have your family's fates up in the air, and to go from everything you knew to something completely new." She shrugged and took a deep breath. "I wished that I could talk to Harry about what I was thinking last night. Ron…doesn't really do emotions. He would usually help me feel better or distract me with some stupid story or something. But, they were mad at me last night – and I can't talk to anyone about you. After you walked off Ron rounded on me and asked what I was doing with you. I told him I couldn't say and he blew up, saying that I was acting like you were more important to me."

"I don't know how you put up with that hot head." The phrase was a little fiercer coming out than I would have liked. Where was this jealousy coming from? I didn't care if Granger liked Weasley more than me. She should.

"He's not always a git, although he's been acting that way more and more recently. Anyway, Harry let it drop but went after Ron, and I went back to the Common Room and sat in my bed. Just feeling the day and it was a lot, you know?" I nodded.

"It was a lot. I don't want you feeling bad over me Granger. I'll be fine, no matter what happens. It's bad enough you got dragged into this dream crap."

"I can't really help how I feel." She closed her eyes for a moment, tightly, heaving in a deep breath. "I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be a normal student. To not have best friends who are always getting into crappy situations, to not be telepathically dream linked to someone. To not know so much about the upcoming war, but, it's my life. I am me, and not some average girl just trying to focus on grades and school crushes." I was a bit confused at how open she was being, but, seeing as we had pretty much no choice but to get to know each other I guessed she was…trying to bond. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Don't you think it would be boring?" She sent me a sidelong glance.

"Probably, yeah," a smirk pulled at her lips.

"I wouldn't think that you'd want less information on what's going on out in the world. You don't strike me as an ignorance is bliss kind of girl." She did smile.

"No, I'm not." We finished our patrol chatting back and forth. As predicted we found no one around, it was a quiet patrol. When we got the staircase I turned to look at Granger. "Did you want to meet up after class tomorrow to try and figure out more about these dreams?"

"Sure, I'll meet you in the practice room after dinner. That gives us about three hours until patrol starts. I'm with Anthony tomorrow night." She rolled her eyes. "He always asks me questions about Harry. Nonstop." I grinned.

"That's too bad. Maybe you should set the two of them up?" She laughed and shook her head.

"Harry already has too many potential dates; I don't need to add to the pile." I scrunched my nose.

"Potter has girls lining up for him?" She laughed again and nodded.

"Some truly crazy ones, anyway Draco, I'll see you after dinner tomorrow. Good night!"

"Night," I waved her off and she sent me a wave before turning on her heel and heading for the Gryffindor Common Room. "See you in my dreams." I said cheesily and softly to myself before heading down the stairs.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, how ya doing? Hope you liked this chapter! It's always a tricky/weird thing to thaw things between Hermione and Draco, but I'm trying my best! This is a bit more of sombre chapter. It was what I was feeling toady. Ya'll have no idea how silly I look when I'm writing a fic. I'm sitting there typing and then I'll be like wait, what floor is that on? Huh, when did that person make prefect? How old is Dumbledore? And I'll whip out my phone and start furiously googleing all the things. And then I get distracted by an email or a message or facebook... and then I come back and write like two sentences and the whole process repeats itself. Not to mention the breaks I take to belt out some songs or take a quick dance break. I also chuckle to myself...a lot. Also, I promise that I don't dislike Ron, and he's not just going to be an angry stupid git the entire time. But, well, sometimes Ron is an angry stupid git? LOL**

 **Thank you to my reviewers since the last update! My guest reviewer, emjrabbitwolf(okay seriously, your review had me chuckling like crazy :D !), and ASJS(I've love me some Snape). Your reviews mean the world to me!**

 **A one, a two, a you know what to do! ;) Review, Fav , and Follow! 3**

 **~WS**


	8. Of Veritaserum and Gold

8\. Of Veritaserum and Gold

"State your full fame please."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy."

"Who are your parents?"

"Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, my mother was formerly a Black."

"Are they Death Eaters?"

"My father is, my mother does not have a Dark Mark, but, is involved in their cause."

"Alright Draco, good, I wanted to be sure the potion was active in your system. Do you have any questions about what's about to happen?" Dumbledore was seated across from me in his office. I had just taken a drink that had Veritaserum in it and was feeling a little strange, as I always did when I took it. I felt translucent, almost. It was odd too, I had to let down the barrier I had up protecting my mind to let the potion work, and I felt vulnerable for the minutes I had to wait for the potion to take effect.

"No, I don't think so."

"You're not going to ask him anything outside of what is pertinent to this issue, as agreed?" Granger piped up. She was sitting next to me. It was later in the week and after spending four days straight with the witch and knowing she was the only other person in Hogwarts who knew what was happening with me, I'd asked her to come along. Dumbledore smiled kindly at her.

"Of course Miss Granger, are we ready to begin?" Both of us nodded and Dumbledore cleared his throat. "When did you take the Dark Mark Mister Malfoy?"

"August third of this year," I replied.

"Were you a willing participant in the ritual?"

"I was not hexed or otherwise magically persuaded to take the mark, but, I took it under coercion. My family was being used as leverage against me. So, I would say I was unwilling."

"You were assigned a task after that, what was it?"

"I was instructed to kill you, Headmaster."

"Did you contemplate fulfilling the task?"

"Yes."

"What caused you to change your mind?" I swallowed and looked over to Granger; she was leaning forward in her seat.

"Hermione Granger caused me to change my mind. We were working together on a project, and my situation came up. She felt I should talk to Professor Snape, who then got me a meeting with you." Dumbledore looked between Granger and me. "I did not wish to carry out the task set forth to me. I don't want to be a killer, or anything close to it. I just want my family safe and for this whole thing to be over."

"Would you divulge the project you were working on with Miss Granger?" Granger interjected thankfully.

"He can't say, actually. That's very important." Dumbledore looked – smug? It was an odd reaction to be sure.

"Alright, I only have one more question and then Miss Granger can take you somewhere where the effects of the potion can wear off safely. Do you believe in Voldemort's cause, do you wish to be a Death Eater?"

"When I was younger I used to believe that I was superior to, well, everyone." I laughed a bit, the potion making me almost loopy. "But, I've come to realize that blood-purity is not important. My family is wrong. I don't believe in the Dark Lord's cause and I do not wish to be a Death Eater."

"Very well Mister Malfoy, you've passed with flying colours! You're free to go."

"Thank you sir" Both Granger and I stood and left the office.

"Are you alright Malfoy?" Granger asked when we reached the corridor.

"Have you ever taken Veritaserum before? It makes you feel all…loose and whacky. I'm okay though." She smiled and got me to follow her. Surprisingly we ended up at the Room of Requirement. She paced three times and a door appeared. We entered a rather simple looking room that had a couch and a fireplace, a fire already burning within the hearth. Granger sat on one end of the couch, and I the other. She reached into her bag and handed me a bottle of pumpkin juice, producing one for her as well. I thanked her for the refreshment and took a sip. "Did you notice Dumbledore's face after he asked about our project? What was that about?" She shrugged.

"Dumbledore is just like that. I don't really question it anymore. I feel certain that he has connected that we are dreaming about each other. I did talk to him about it at the beginning of the school year. I didn't tell him who I was dreaming about. I reckon he also knows we've done something like an unbreakable vow. There is technically nothing wrong with performing one. I think it's more of a moral implication. I think that face was just a Dumbledore connecting the dots face." I chuckled at her description. "Does it bother you that he knows?" I shrugged.

"Not really. I feel like everyone knows everything about me these days. I'm curious, why did you bring me to the Room of Requirement?" The light in the room was dim, but I could swear I saw a faint blush graze her cheeks.

"Do you remember on Sunday when Harry and Ron came up to us and asked what we were doing?" I nodded. "You noticed the piece of paper Harry had in his hands?" Again, I nodded.

"There were little dots moving all over it." I recalled.

"Yes, it's a map of Hogwarts that shows where everyone is all the time. I was surprised that you didn't ask how they knew we had been together for a good portion of the day."

"I got swept up in making fun of Weasley, and then there was just so much else that we needed to think about, I kind of forgot. But, okay – a map of Hogwarts that shows where everyone is all the time sounds a bit stalker-like if you ask me." She laughed and nodded.

"It can be like that." She agreed. "So, Harry discovered that when people come here to the Come and Go room, they disappear from the map. And, he knows that because he's been tracking you lately. You were coming in here to fix the cabinet, right?"

"Yeah, that's very creepy. Should I consider myself added to the long list of people waiting to date Potter?" I smiled at my own joke like a loser. Granger laughed.

"If you like, though I never thought of Harry as your type." I snickered.

"What is my type, do you reckon Granger?" She thought for a minute.

"Well firstly, I would assume they would be female, but, you do you Malfoy. Secondly, given family history I would say you're into blondes with a bit of boldness, but not too bold. They should be easily tamed into a perfect wife." I tried really hard not to laugh at the description and failed.

"Don't worry Granger, I do – do me, quite often." Her moth dropped open at the statement. I went on as though I hadn't said anything questionable. "But you're right, I go for the fairer sex, and then you start describing my parents dream for me. They would love a Blonde sort of spitfire of good breeding who will submit to the Malfoy will and perform wifely duties flawlessly."

"You want something else?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yes. Please play fair Granger; I've still got no choice but to tell the truth." She looked as though she had forgotten.

"Right, sorry Draco, what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm pretty interested in that map. Where did Potter find something like that?"

"Well, the Weasley twins gave it to him. They found it in Filch's office in their first year; I don't know how they ever managed to figure out how to make it work. Then we found out that the map was actually made by Harry's dad and his friends back when they attended Hogwarts."

"You said they needed to figure out how it works? That's kind of weird, what do you mean by that?"

"The parchment is charmed. Kind of the sheet I use to keep notes on our dream sessions, it's actually where I drew the inspiration from. You need to say the correct phrase to turn the parchment into a map, otherwise it just insults you."

"That's interesting. Why is Potter so obsessed with me anyway? Obviously he thinks I'm a Death Eater, but how does he plan to do anything about it. Why does he always have to be so nosy?"

"Harry's life is being the unwilling hero." She replied wryly. "I don't think he can help himself when he feels like something is amiss. There are worse personality flaws to have." She shrugged.

"You know Granger, I never really thought about how patient you must be to put up with those guys. They're always dragging you into shit. Most people would have said fuck it, and left them to their own devices by now." She thought for a moment before responding.

"Some things are meant to be, you know? Ron and Harry saved my life in First Year. At first I felt like I owed them, but, going through life endangering experiences really bonds you with a person – or people in my case.

"Do you think that you will always be close with those two? Even after graduation – if we get there – when you're out in the world?"

"I really hope so. I can't imagine my life without those two."

"I guess I feel that way about Blaise. He's pretty much keeping me sane right now."

"It's good that you have someone you can rely on."

"He's not the only person I have." I looked at her. She pressed her lips together for a moment.

"Who else do you have?"

"You," That simple three letter word slid from my mouth and I didn't quite know what to. _Just keep going!_ My potion addled brain insisted. "I know it hasn't been that long, but, I feel like I can trust you. You've been there for all the hard shit I've had to face since the school year started, and you do it all so selflessly. Back in Dumbledore's office, making sure he would only ask questions I would be comfortable answering, and making sure I was protected from the vow as well. Sitting here while I yammer away in a potion induced haze so I don't spill secrets elsewhere – all while knowing it's driving the two people you are closest to crazy. I can't really convey my gratitude properly…Hermione. Thank you." She gave me a full on smile.

"It's nothing Draco; we're in this together after all, bound by dreams, vows, and responsibilities. I've been pleased this year to discover there is more to you than most people think. It's funny, but I trust you too. More than I feel I should right now. Perhaps it's as I said earlier – Some things are meant to be." When she meant to be in the context of us, something clicked in my brain and I suddenly had an epiphany.

"It's meant to be!" I exclaimed, sitting up straighter.

"Draco, what are you talking about?"

"Okay, just listen for a minute. I read something in the book you gave me, that at the time I didn't even take notice of. But, if I think about it a different context it makes all the sense." Granger waited while I pieced my thoughts together. "So, the passage said – in rare cases of an unwanted curse, the opposite effect can occur. And I was like – no, this curse worked how it was supposed to. I'm marked and therefore I'm You-Know-Who's property, in essence. But what if that's not true? The Death Eater's goal is to eradicate what they call diluted magical blood, right?" She nodded, not seeing where I was taking this yet. "So, that should mean it's my goal as well. But, instead – I took the mark and I started having dreams about you – someone with inexplicable magic in their body. By the Death Eater's standard the exact opposite of a Pure Blood, maybe I was lead to you – because it's meant to be." Do you see?" She regarded me for a moment before responding.

"Maybe, let me talk it out for a minute. So the Dark Mark should have instilled an even greater hatred of half-bloods and muggle-borns into you – instead it lead you to becoming friends with one because the Dark Mark was imposed upon you. Then we would need to discover why me, out of all the other candidates possible for the task. Although – if I think about it, that's obvious too. We're the same age, or near enough, only I'm the opposite of you, Muggle born, and with ties to the Order of the Phoenix. I wonder if there is something more to it. It all boils down to blood, doesn't it? Maybe there is a blood kismet?" She was mostly talking to herself at this point, and I was just listening intently. "I'd need to do some research." She took a breath and seemed to come back to the present moment. "We would need to do some research, and experiments. I think it would be illuminating, not sure how it would solve the dream issue, but it's a start." I nodded.

"I'm busy all day tomorrow. Would you be able to meet up Friday after classes?" She thought for a moment.

"I can go to the library tomorrow, and see if there are any books on blood or blood magic, as well as search the divination section for books on fates and kismet. We could meet back here after patrol on Friday. I've promised Harry and Ron that we'll go to Hogsmeade on Saturday, but other than that I'm free to work on this all weekend."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm staying here, I owled my mother that I'm unwell and can't make the pick up this weekend for that cursed necklace. I'll just stay here and study. What will Potter and Weasley say when you've vanished from the map, along with myself for most of the weekend?"

"They'll probably be mad at me, but, what else is new? I'll tell them that we're working on an advanced project for Defence Against the Dark Arts for Snape. They probably won't buy it, but, that's no matter. This is important, too important to worry about what they'll think." I nodded.

"Ask me a question."

"What kind of question?"

"Any question, I think the potion has worn off, I just want to check."

"Who do you find more attractive, Blaise or Harry?" I laughed.

"Well, neither of them are blonde, so I'd have to say, that I'm the most attractive." She laughed.

"I think you're all clear then. So, I'll see you on Friday night. We'll meet up outside the Room of Requirement after Patrols."

"Sounds like a plan. Thank you for tonight Hermione, I really appreciate this." She shrugged.

"It's been fun, no worries Draco." We got up and left the room, she waved and set off in the opposite direction from me down the hall, and I made my way all the way down to the dungeons, and my dorm room, trying to keep myself from smiling.

* * *

Friday evening approached with lightning speed, and I found myself waiting outside the Room of Requirement for Grange sooner than I could believe. I saw her approaching with two bags each slung over one shoulder, and an armful of books. I walked toward her and took the books out of her arms and hefted up one of the bags. "Thanks, how's it going?" I nodded in response to her thanks.

"It's going alright. How about you? Hoping to start a pack mule service?" I asked she shot me a look before grinning.

"This is all important for what we're looking into, I've got several books, some equipment we might need, and food – since the room won't supply that." She paced in front of the wall and produced a door for us to step through. This room was similar to the last time, except there was a door in this version as well as two beds put at either side of the room. "I don't really think we'll be here overnight, but, you never know." She supplied an unasked for answer to my raised eyebrow at the beds.

"I feel like I came to the party with no gift, you could have got me to help you with some of this Hermione." She shrugged.

"It was not big deal. She walked toward the sofa and plunked down the bag she was carrying. I followed suit dropping the bag and setting the books on the table. She started rooting through the bags. She pulled out more books, some weird looking devices and some food and drinks – quickly sorting through everything. "I think the best bet will be if we start reading through the books. I've got some on Blood magic, blood and curses, and some divination stuff on fate. I think we should each read different books and see if anything sticks out."

"Sure, that sounds fine, just as long as I don't get stuck reading about fate." I wrinkled my nose slightly. Granger laughed.

"I don't care much for divination myself, but, let's read on blood first, maybe we won't have to crack open the book on fates. I want to take notes on what I learn, and if there are any experiments we can try. It's going to be a long night." She sighed looking at the stack of books she had brought along. "Are you ready?" I smirked and nodded my head. We sat at opposite ends of the couch, both with a book in our hands and parchment and a quill on the coffee table in front of us. Occasionally one of us would lean forward, write something, and then settle back into the couch. There was a companionable silence for most of the night, punctuated with the sounds of pages turning and quills scratching on parchment. At some point, deep even breathing entered the mix. I looked over to see Hermione passed out, the book she was reading folded against her chest, and her head dropped back against the couch. I finished reading the paragraph I was on, made a quick note on my parchment and quietly set my things down.

I stood and walked to where Hermione was sleeping, taking the book from her hands and laying it on the table. I reached out a hand and rested it on her should shaking her awake. Her eyes opened for a moment and closed again. "Come on Granger, come lay down, you're sleeping." She made some incoherent noise and for some reason reached a hand out. I shrugged to myself taking her hand and hoisting her up. She effectively sleep walked to the bed and collapsed on it. I tried to let go of her hand, but found I couldn't. I looked closely and saw golden glowing threads of magic keeping our hands bound together. I tried to wake Hermione, but, it was no use. I tried to get my hand free, but, it was no use. I sighed and looked across the room. I levitated the other bed over to where I was and resigned myself to the fact that I would be sleeping clutching Granger's hand.

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 **AN: Ehehehe. This chapter makes me happy. I researched into some random little details for it, which makes it even more special to me. A couple of things I'll address in this note, one - but WS teachers aren't allowed to use Veritaserum on students, that's illegal. Yup. It is, but, it's war time and I don't think the head of the order of the phoenix would let anyone close to it with a shady past without cross examination. I say that Draco has to allow the potion to take affect because he is skilled in occlumency, which alters hows the potion works. Another detail is Harry watching Draco on the map. I feel certain in saying he didn't do that until later in the book, but, oh well I needed that discovery for this plot to happen sooner. Other than that I don't feel this is clockable lol!**

 **Big thanks to my reviewers since the last update ForsakenKalika, emjrabbitwolf(I love an in depth review! Nice suggestions :D), chapou69, nicolemae666, and ASJS!**

 **Lemme know what you thought of the chapter, and if you think my ANs are too much! :P Review, fav, and follow! Thanks for reading!  
**

 **~WS**


	9. Kismet

9\. Kismet

 _Snow was swirling through the air; I watched it happily dance freely in the biting cold wind. I drew my attention away from the window and toward the witch standing by the fireplace. Hermione stood with her hands extended toward the fire. "Why am I even taking Astronomy?" She muttered to herself. "Nobody could see anything with all this snow anyway." I laughed listening to her tirade. "You didn't think that was ridiculous and very, very cold?" She asked looking at me._

 _"It was pretty pointless, and yeah, cold – but we're inside now. Simmer down Granger." I smirked at her and she pouted before turning back to the fire. I walked over and took her hands in mine._

 _"What, are you actually part furnace?" She asked covering her hands further with mine._

 _"Good one Granger." I led her over to the couch where we sat, me still warming her hands. I heaved a sigh and Hermione looked up at me questioningly. "I don't want you to leave tomorrow." I declared in a low voice. She gave me a sympathetic look._

 _"You'll be fine Draco, probably happier without me bugging you all time. I'll write to you, at least once a day." I frowned. She pulled one of her hands from mine and rested it on my face. "I'll be back before you know it." I nodded, looking down. She pulled closer to me and gently set her lips upon mine. I added a light pressure to the kiss. She brought her hand to rest on my shoulder as I leant us back against the couch, her body draping over mine. The kiss grew a little more forceful, but I pulled back before it got anywhere near heated. Hermione shifted so her head was on my shoulder, my arms holding her firmly against me._

 _"Every day, you promise?" I asked. She nodded into my shoulder. "Good," I responded. I drew lazy circles up and down her back and felt as she fell asleep in my arms._

I woke up and instantly felt I was being watched. I blinked my eyes open and saw Granger looking at me oddly. She was holding my hand and sitting on the edge of her bed leaning slightly forward. As soon as I was fully awake I felt a static zing in my hand, and suddenly we could let go of each other. Granger sat back and looked down at her hand curiously. I sat up and pulled my hand in inspecting it too. There was an odd symbol on my palm…a looped circle shape near the bottom of my palm; it was standing in stark relief against my skin in a golden hue. I looked up at Hermione. "Well, this is new."

"It is that. Good morning," She added as an afterthought. She held her hand out palm up and I copied the gesture. I took her hand in my unbranded one and looked at her palm. The same symbol was on her palm as well glowing the same shade of gold. "What happened after I fell asleep last night?"

"Well, you fell asleep and I was just trying to get you bed. I put my hand on your shoulder and tried to shake you awake. Your eyes opened for a second and you held your hand out to me. So I took your hand and led you to the bed. You laid down on it and I tried to extract my hand from yours. I couldn't do it. I tried to wake you up, and I couldn't do it. I looked and saw that out hands were almost…fused together with a golden magic. I decided to just move my bed over and deal with the hands being stuck together in the morning. What the hell does this mean?" She shrugged.

"This just gets stranger and stranger. Did you have the dream last night?" She asked I shook my head no. "I didn't either. I still had a dream about you but it was different."

"Was it after an Astronomy class?" I asked.

"No, it was sometime in the evening, it was raining – we were in here, and you were excited about something…I can't quite remember the last half of the dream. You had a dream about Astronomy?" She asked with a tone of amusement in her voice.

"Not quite. We were in this room as well, it was snowing and we had just had an Astronomy lesson. You were standing by the fire trying to thaw your hands. We talked about you leaving the next day, and we fell asleep on the couch. Sleep within a dream, kind of strange." I left out us kissing and cuddling, unsure if I wanted to vocalise it. I also had the feeling she was omitting aspects from her dream. "What do you reckon this mark is?" Mine had already seemed to face since waking.

"I have no idea, as if this situation didn't already have us doing enough extra work." She sighed and rolled her shoulders back. She stood and went to the other door that had come with the room – it looked like a bathroom. She shut the door and I laid back down – thoughts racing through my brain in a haphazard manner. "Are you coming down to breakfast?" Hermione asked from the foot of the bed; I hadn't heard her exit the bathroom and it surprised me mildly.

"No, I'm supposed to be sick today. I'll just stay up in here."

"I'll bring you something to eat and drink before I leave. Are you just going to stay here and read up on this stuff?" She asked, and I nodded I response. "Whatever that mark is, it isn't permanent, mine is gone." Hermione held her hand out palm forward, and, indeed there was nothing on it. I quickly checked mine and saw the same thing.

"Mine is gone too."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Granger mused. "I'll be back in around half an hour. I don't think I should be too long in Hogsmeade either, but, we'll see." I nodded, sitting up and waving Hermione off as she headed for the door. I got up and headed into the bathroom. I would need to get down to the Slytherin Common Room and grab a change of clothes at some point during the day. I was still wearing my school uniform from yesterday. I relieved myself and washed my hands then splashed cool water over my face.

I was really starting to get weirded out by whatever was happening between Granger and me. There were the dreams, fusion magic, disappearing marks, and a weird familiarity with each other that was baffling me. Just over a week before I could hardly stand the sight of her, and now we were sleeping holding hands and I didn't really get bothered by it. I went back into the main room and sat back on the couch, picking up the book I had been reading the night before on blood kismet. I was three chapters deeper than I had been the night before when Hermione came back. She set a plate in front of me and produced a bottle of pumpkin juice. "Thanks Hermione." She nodded and sat on her end of the couch.

"I talked to Blaise and he's going to bring you up some fresh clothes, he said he needed to talk to you about something." She shrugged. "I told him the exact phrase that will get him in this room. I need to head over to my Common Room and get ready to leave."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Can you do me favour and just make fun of the weasel once for me while you lot are hanging out?" A smirk played about her features.

"Maybe, I don't think I could possibly get a better reaction out of him than you did outside of Dumbledore's office." I chuckled.

"Thanks again Granger, for the food and for talking to Blaise." She nodded.

"I'll be back soon." It might have been my imagination but a wistful expression seemed to emanate from her eyes before she turned and left. I spent a minute examining that look, and really thought about how we were progressing into having an actual relationship, outside of insulting each other in the hallways or awkward stifled conversations when were paired up to patrol together. We were clearly not uncomfortable around each other anymore, and were even making jokes here and there between our conversations about out predicament. Was it possible we were friends, even going as far as good friends in the span of a week? It seemed impossible, yet, that was exactly what seemed to be happening. I shook my head clearing away the thoughts I was having and focused on the book in front of me.

I came across several intriguing ideas and theories that I jotted down to discuss with Granger when she got back, and was just setting the book I was reading down to take a break, when the door from the hallway opened. Blaise came into the room and smiled at me.

"Hello stranger."

"What have I told you about flirting with me Blaise?"

"That it's fruitless, but necessary?" He asked with a wink. I laughed and shook my head at him.

"Close enough, you brought me some clothes to change into?" I asked. He nodded and handed me a bag of clothes, a casual outfit as well as some pajamas. He looked over at the beds that were still next to each other and raised his eyebrows twice at me. "It's not what it looks like." He gave me a look like he didn't believe me, but I just rolled my eyes and indicated he should sit. "Granger said you needed to talk to me?"

"Well mostly I just wanted to make sure you were alright. The last time we really talked, you were pretty upset."

"I'm doing better Blaise; it's very sweet that you care." I smirked and batted my lashes at him.

"You're a git." He smirked back. "I guess I'll leave you to your reading, looks like Granger is rubbing off on you." He gestured at the stack of books and notes around me.

"You try telling that witch to bring fewer research materials. She just won't listen. But, this is actually pretty interesting stuff."

"I'll take your word for it mate. I'm off to Hogsmeade; I've got a myself a fiery date!"

"Ew, you asked the weasel out?" Blaise sputtered out a laugh.

"No, I don't fancy him; his sister is pretty fit though. It's not her either. I'll you know who it is if it goes well."

"Have a good time!" I called as he left the room. I picked up the change of clothes he brought and went to shower quickly. I felt refreshed and ready to get back to work in no time. The afternoon passed with me making my way carefully through the book on blood kismet, and before I knew it Hermione was back with a plate of dinner for me, and a bag full of Honeydukes sweets to snack on. I listened to her describe what she had gotten up to in Hogsmeade while I ate, and surprisingly found myself paying rapt attention."…so, nothing too crazy, but, that's what we got up to today. What about you?"

"Well, I sat here all day. Took a shower after I had clean clothes to change into, oh- and I think I might have found out what's wrong with us."

"What?" Her voice went a little shrill. "Malfoy you absolute prat, you let me sit here and yammer on about Hogsmeade?" I smiled.

"It was interesting, and I needed to eat. I was reading and I came across an eerie passage that hit quite close to home." I had left the book open to the page I needed. I quickly re-read the passage before handing the book off to Hermione.

 _On very rare occasions, after a blood bonded pair has turned 16, strange things can begin to happen. These may present as dreams, telepathic communication, development of latent talents, and attachment magic. Blood bonds can stem from just about anywhere – centuries old pacts, blood kismet, or a fated event. Blood bonding can also mean many different things – in our findings every blood pair has been fated for different reasons. A blood match can bring about a well suited friendship, or even a romantic bond._

 _A simple test can be done to test for blood bonding. A drop of blood is required from each portion of the bond – when swirled together the blood will become enveloped in a prismatic light, and transform into a gem. A functioning knowledge of symbols, colour magic, and gemstones is useful in gleaning what the bond is meant for._

I'd say that's pretty on the nose. Looks like it could have been worse though – we could be reading each other's thoughts that would probably be worse than the dreams." I nodded.

"So, do you want to give it a go?" I asked.

"Well of course I do. I've got everything we will need." She sifted through the equipment and produced two vials, two little spears which she called lancets, and a clear dish. I watched as she used the lancet to puncture the tip of her finger and squeezed a few drops of blood into her vial. I followed suite and handed the vial over to Hermione. She seemed a little anxious, but poured the two samples into the clear dish. At first nothing seemed to happen, and then the blood swirled together, emitting an almost blinding light. When the light dissipated a stone remained. It was deep brown, yet translucent, and there were iridescent colours woven throughout it. It shimmered for a moment and then divided itself into two perfect little ovals.

"Do you know what kind of stone this is?" I asked her. She shook her head picking one up and examining it closely.

"This is pretty unbelievable Draco. We're blood bonded? How do you feel about this?"

"It's pretty weird. It makes sense of all of our problems though, doesn't it? The dreams, that weird magic keeping us together last night and the symbols on our hands this morning. I turned 16 in June, so the dreams started almost exactly a month later. Perhaps it didn't actually have anything to do with the mark."

"Or it may be it has to do with both." I nodded accepting that as a possibility. "We will need to figure out what kind of stone this is and figure out what the colour of that magic signifies, as well as what the shape of the mark meant."

"Well, I've got two out of three figured out for us already. Golden magic is associated with illumination, compassion, courage and wisdom, as well as love – but – I don't want to focus on that at the moment. Because if you leave that out it is a pretty apt description of what our relationship is bringing out of us. The loop can mean a couple of different things, but, the over arcing message of it is that through the ups and downs of life you need to remain strong. Which, again is pretty fitting; that leaves the stone to figure out." Hermione was looking at me like I had sprouted another head.

"This…this is a lot to take in." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay so we're blood bonded I'd like to try to figure out the source." She pulled a piece of parchment toward herself and started scribbling furiously. "The most likely would be either blood kismet or a fated event, which are in actuality pretty similar. If we read into the symbology so far we were brought together to remain strong during the ups and downs surrounding us, and should result in knowledge, courage, and compassion." She blurted the whole thing out at top speed, and I scooted forward placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me with wide eyes and I felt a weird twinge in my chest.

"Just breathe Granger. This doesn't have to mean anything if we don't want it to. Blood magic is crazy shit, that we'll have to look deeper into, but, at the end of the day we control ourselves, our blood doesn't control us." She nodded. Her hand came up to rest over the hand that I had on her shoulder and she took a couple deep breaths. "Can you help me with the Arithmancy paper that's due at the end of next week, it's got me well boggled." She looked even more stressed for a moment before she sent me a smile and nodded.

"Of course I can." I reached over to my bag and drew out my Arithmancy book and the parchment I had started my project on. Granger snatched the parchment and read over it quickly. "Yeah, you do need my help." She laughed. I grinned and rolled my eyes. We spent a couple of hours working on the paper and Granger seemed a lot calmer. "I think you'll ace it now." She declared as we put the finishing touches on the project.

"I hope so; so I noticed that you have a full bag of Honeydukes candy waiting to be eaten there. Care to share it with me?" I gave her a pleading look and she laughed and nodded.

"Help yourself." I pulled out a chocolate bar and sank my teeth in taking a huge bite. "I wouldn't have thought you'd have a sweet tooth." She commented holding back a laugh.

"A massive one, I can't tell you how much money I've spent at Honeydukes since third year. It's an obscene amount." We chattered easily for at least an hour before my eyes started growing heavy and found myself leaning against the arm of the couch and dropping off to sleep.

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 **AN: Hi. I stayed up till five in the morning getting this chapter written so I could get it up and live today. You're welcome. :) This chapter is pretty crazy and really took on a life of its own. I had something pretty cool planned for this chapter that I guess will have to go into the next one instead. I've kind of modeled Blaise after Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who, where he'll just kind of flirt with anything that moves, yet still be endearing rather than creepy. lol! I'm also not an expert on Gem stone meanings and uses or of symbols and colours. The things I did decide to use for the blood bond have been looked into to the best of my ability. The story will develop into a broader outlook on Draco's entire situation soon, but, I want to really establish a connection between our leading pair first.**

 **As always thank you to my reviewers since the last update! emjrabbitwolf, ForsakenKalika, Lovesagoodstory19, Mykie, and pinkduck2587! I appreciate your reviews so much!**

 **Now do I even have to tell you? Type a message for me in that box below and hit the review button - even if it's something ridiculous like Roses are Red, Violets are blue(but, actually violet) this story is a mess, and so are you! I'll still love it. lol! Fav, and follow! Thanks for reading!**

 **~WS**


	10. Rats!

10\. Rats!

My eyes blinked open and I groaned, bringing my hand to my neck and massaging my stiff vertebrae gently. It took a moment to orient myself and realize where I was. And it took me a couple more minutes to realize that I hadn't dreamed last night. Not a dream I could remember anyway. I looked to the other end of the couch where Hermione was still sleeping. I gently stretched my upper back and got silently to my feet. I used the washroom, and by the time I emerged Hermione was blinking her eyes awake. "Morning Granger," I greeted.

"Good morning Draco, did you have a good sleep?"

"It was quite peaceful until I awoke with a crick in my neck; how did you sleep?"

"Very well, I didn't dream, did you?" I shook my head. "The first time since August that I've had a dreamless sleep, it almost felt empty. I'm not complaining though." I grinned and nodded I knew how she felt. "What's on the agenda for today then? " I asked.

"Well we should probably try to figure out what this stone is. That's the most pressing matter, and other than that I'm fine taking the day off if you are."

"That sounds good; my brain is still processing all the stuff we found out yesterday." I admitted. She nodded.

"It's been a pretty crazy week all around. We can leave all of our research material in here; the room will keep producing this room as we've left it."

"How do you know that?" She shrugged.

"That's just how the room works. When we had DA meetings last year the club room always kept things the way we left them, and we learnt how to password protect the entrance as well, which is what I will do with this door, then you just have to think the password three times while you pace in front of the wall."

"What's the password then?"

"Pasta monster," I blinked a couple of times unsure if I had heard her correctly.

"I'm sorry I think I misheard you, did you say pasta monster?" She laughed at me and nodded. "Whatever floats your boat Granger. Let's go get breakfast and then we can hit the Library, try to figure out these stones." She nodded in agreement.

"I just need to pop to the loo." She got up and headed for the bathroom. I quickly cast a smoothing charm over my clothes and waited patiently for Granger to be ready. About five minutes later she emerged from the bathroom and we exited the Room of Requirement. We walked in companionable silence until we reached the staircase. Hermione looked over at me and I glanced back with a raised eyebrow. "You're so much different than I thought you were Draco. Sometimes I got caught off guard by how you are now. What happened to that angry pompous boy who stomped around these halls?" I shrugged.

"He grew up?" I sighed heavily. "I've been changing since fourth year. I was just too…concerned about what the other Slytherin's would think, or my parents would think to show any outward changes. I'm the heir of the Malfoy family, I was taught from before I could talk that I must behave a certain way. I finally started thinking for myself and acting for myself, and sometimes I surprise myself with a reaction or action, but that's all part of growing up, isn't it?" Hermione nodded emphatically.

"I don't know how to phrase this. Please don't be offended." I narrowed my eyes at her and prodded her to go on. "Last night when I was freaking out about everything we learned and you just casually leant forward and reassured me, then asked me for help with Arithmancy, knowing it would calm me down. I never – in a million years would have believed that you would know how to comfort someone that way. That's more than growing up, that's…that's a completely new side of you." She took a deep breath and looked over at me. "You should be really be proud of the man you're turning into; he's one very much worth knowing. I blinked a couple of times at the statement.

"I can't take all the credit. I think you might be rubbing off on me a bit. I've always admired how loyal you were to your friends, how passionate you were about your studies, and how unfailingly you are there for your friends. They would be nowhere without you. Maybe it's this bond creating us into a perfect match for the other, or maybe it's something else, but, this year would be an absolute nightmare without you. I'm happy if, even unconsciously I am helping you even a fraction as much as you're helping me." I took a deep breath. "If I had to venture a guess as to why suddenly this year we're acting civil toward one another, and doing things we never thought we would do, I'd say it has to do with this bond. It's created this comfort level between us that is hard to comprehend." She nodded.

"Would you change it if you could?" She asked softly. I thought it over for a moment.

"No, I don't think I would, this year would be unfolding much differently, and more difficultly if this didn't happen. What about you, would you change it if you could?" She too thought a moment before answering.

"No, I wouldn't change it. It's been so weird and so stressful, but, it's very nice to know there is a person beneath your façade. One who is willing to put everything on the line to change. It's admirable." I felt a slight blush creeping up my neck.

"I couldn't have done it without your bravery." We were just about the reach the first floor and we were stood looking at each other in the middle of the staircase. Hermione was battling a blush too and was just about to say something when the she-weasel stumbled across us.

"Morning Hermione and Satan's spawn, bizarre to see you two together so early in the morning." With that delightful comment the charged energy around us dissipated. "I've actually been looking for you 'Moine, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, we can talk over breakfast. I'll meet you in the Library after we eat?" She asked me. I nodded. "Alright see you in a bit then." With that Granger and Weasley set off talking in a hushed tone. My mind was racing at a mile a minute in incomprehensive thoughts. What the hell was that? Maybe I was spending too much time with Hermione. I sighed and resumed walking to the Great Hall. When I got there Crabbe and Goyle were sitting together looking glum. I sat across form them and dished up breakfast.

"Good morning boys, why the long faces?" I asked. Goyle looked as though I appeared out of thin air.

"Where did you come from?" He asked. No, not the sharpest tool in the shed, I decided to ignore the question and re-ask mine.

"What's the matter, you two look as though someone took the last cauldron cake." Crabbe sighed and frowned.

"We're failing Charms." I tried to reign in any expression that wanted to show on my face and took a bite of food instead.

"I don't think I understand – we've been in school for seven weeks, and you're failing a class?" The pair nodded in sync. "How did that happen exactly?"

"Flitwick is so hard to pay attention to. His voice is all squeaky. You usually help us with Charms but you're always gone." I felt a twinge of guilt. I sometimes forgot how heavily these boys depended on me.

"Well you know what you have to do then?" They both looked at me blankly. "You have to go ask him for extra credit or re-do's and see if you can get a Charms tutor. I'd help you guys with Charms if I had even a moment to spare, but I'm spread thin. I'll stay after class with you tomorrow when you talk to Flitwick about this, okay?" They both nodded, but looked bewildered. I bit back a sigh and just continued eating my breakfast. I tried to keep my eyes trained on my table and the goons in front of me, but, as though they had a mind of their own they sought Granger. She was sat with Ginny, their heads bowed together as they talked about something with serious expressions on their faces. I wondered idly what they were talking about before dropping my eyes back to my plate. I finished breakfast and bid Crabbe and Goyle adieu, before standing and making my way to the Library.

I wasn't sure where I would find books on gem stones, but I figured I could look under g and also in divination – I was pretty sure there was a correlation. I strolled down the g section, and was happy when I found a portion dedicated to gems; I knelt down to get a closer look as they were on a low shelf. I looked through the books available and chose one that had detailed pictures of what the gems looked like, and one that had detailed descriptions of what the gems were known for. I stood from my kneeling position and looked over to see Granger walking down the row toward me. "Hey, I think I found some books we can use to figure this out."

"Good, let's grab that table there then." She gestured to an empty table behind me. We sat next to each other and I flipped the book open that had the depictions of the stones in it. "I guess the only way to check is alphabetically. Here's hoping it's not something zinc based." We started flipping through the pages, but didn't have to flip through very far. "That's it!" Hermione exclaimed pointing at a stone rendering that looked identical to the stones we had produced.

"Agate, I've never heard of that before. Not even a common form of Agate – Fire Agate. Let's see what the descriptive text has to offer on the subject." I pulled the other book I had pulled closer and flicked to the description of Agate. "Agate is known to balance energies, attract strength, and awaken talents in people. It offers protections from bad dreams." I looked over at Hermione and it looked like her mind was being blown. "It combats stress and draining energies. More specifically – Fire Agate gives shy or diminished people voices, and stimulates a zest for life. It's known as the spiritual flame of absolute perfection. Many studies have been done on this gem and it never quite reveals its secrets - known as one of the most mysterious gemstones." I let out a breath after reading the passage and looked back to Hermione.

"Everything we've been finding is just more and more confirmation of what's going on paired with more confusion. How fitting that we would create a mysterious gemstone with unbreakable secrets." She put her head in her hands and gazed off into the middle distance. "Maybe we're not meant to know the origin of what's happening to us."

"If you want to know, we'll keep working until we've exhausted every means of finding out." She shot a small smile at me.

"Oi, Hermione, what is this?" I looked up to see Weasley furiously stalking toward us. "You can't just blow me off this time saying you're working on Arithmancy. You've been missing since Dinner yesterday and here I find you with this insufferable ferret – again!"

"That's not any of your business Ronald. I have a life outside of you and Harry." She glared at him.

"Yeah, sure you do, not one that includes this slimy you-know-who lover!" Hermione pushed her chair back and stood decisively planting her hands on the table.

"What is your problem Ron? You know what this year means academically to me. Malfoy happens to be much more studious than you or Harry, and can actually keep up with the extra credit assigned. If you would apply yourself to something outside of quidditch and wanting to be popular, I have no doubt you could do just as well. But, you don't. So that leaves me with Malfoy as a working partner which I have explained to you several times now. On top of all that he's interesting and insightful; clear off before I lose my temper Ron!"

"What have you done to her Malfoy? Did you do some kind of brainwashing on her?" Up till this point I had been glancing between the two of them as they talked louder and louder, much like watching two chasers practice throwing a quaffle back and forth to increase reflex speed.

"Rats! Foiled again by your incomparable intuition and intelligence – I should have known you'd pick up on Granger getting brainwashed. Stupid, stupid Draco, what was I thinking – I knew it would be risky. You're just too clever Weasley." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You can't just give a normal answer?" Weasley practically exploded. "You always have to be so smarmy about everything!"

"Well, if you asked me a sane question I'm sure I could answer normally, but instead you come out with absolute nonsense. I really don't understand how anyone puts up with you weasel. What is it that you bring the golden trio anyway? Harry brings a certain ambition and bravery – he's not very smart all the time, but he has his uses. Hermione is always digging you lot of trouble with extra work research into all of your crazy schemes. So what is it that you do? Make everything harder by dragging down the team?" His mouth opened and closed like a gasping fish.

"That's enough Draco. Ron might be asking for a fight but you don't need to step up to the plate. Ron your anger is directed at me, don't drag Malfoy into this. Now, I will speak with you later. Leave." I never heard her voice quite so menacing before…I found I rather liked it. Ron continued to stand there gaping at Hermione. "I said leave Ron! Once I've had a chat with Draco you better believe I'll come and find you." He finally closed his mouth and glared at first Hermione then me.

"There was a time when you would have chosen me, your friend over this stupid ferret. What the hell is wrong with you?" He spat before storming off. Hermione stood standing where she was until he was out of sight. She weakly sank into her chair and pressed her hand over her face.

"I can't handle all this shit. Draco can you check those books out and meet me up in the Room of Requirement? I need to yell at you and I don't want to make an even bigger spectacle than we just did." I tried not to smirk.

"I'm on it. I'll see you there." She shoved out of her chair and strode angrily from the Library. I ignored all the whispering happening around me as I went and checked out the two books on gemstones.

"I expect better decorum from Prefects Mister Malfoy." Madame Pince tutted as she signed the books out to me. I sighed.

"So do I Madame Pince – it won't happen again." She gave me a look that said it better not, and I left the library, swiftly making my way to the seventh floor. I paced in front of the wall to the Room of Requirement thinking 'Pasta monster' as I strode past. The door appeared and I pushed into the room. Hermione was stood looking out the window and shot me an angry look when I got into the room.

"Why did you do that?" She snapped.

"Ron wasn't exactly being an angel back there, was I supposed to let him shit all over me?"

"No, but you took that too far. Of course Ron has an inferiority complex; his best friend is Harry Potter. Why would you do that?"

"Your best friend is Harry Potter and you don't have a complex." I pointed out. Hermione huffed out a breath.

"I would appreciate it in the future if you didn't make my relationship with Ron and Harry even more strained than it currently is." She hissed, avoiding my last point. "You could have dropped that with your first point and left it at that, but no you have to one up everyone."

"I didn't ask for Ron to come storming up to us in the Library and start yelling shit for everyone to hear. I'm allowed to stand up for myself Granger!"

"Stand up for yourself sure, but to belittle him like that was over the line." She crossed her arms and glared at me. I was equal parts annoyed, and amused. I crossed my arms and stared back. I thought on what she had said for a moment. I let out a whooshing breath.

"You're right, that was a low blow on my part and I shouldn't have said it. I won't apologize to Weasley for it, but I will apologize to you. He's one of your best friends and it isn't cool of me to attack him, even though I was provoked. I would be pissed too if you said something similar about Blaise." I shrugged. I was sorry that I had made her upset with me.

"You won't do that again?" She asked.

"I won't do that again." I affirmed. She nodded and turned back toward the window. I plopped onto the couch and rested my head against it. Minutes later I heard a snuffling noise from Granger. "Hermione, are you okay?" I asked, lifting my head and looking at her back. She shook her head. She turned around and horrifyingly there were tears swimming in her eyes. I felt a ripping sensation in my chest and felt my heart beating faster. "Come sit, what's wrong?" She sat next to me and buried her face in her hands. I rubbed my hand over her back and she eventually got her crying under enough control to talk to me.

"This is all so much Draco." He voice was diminutive. "No matter what I do I can't keep everyone happy. Everyone is worried about me; I kind of talked to Ginny about what's happening this morning, well, what I could without breaking the vow. She feels like I haven't been around at all and obviously thinks it's weird I'm spending time with you. Ron and Harry are so angry that I've been hanging around you they will hardly speak to me. And I know you can't help it, you didn't ask for this – neither of us did. It's just really hard."

"I know Hermione; I can't tell you how sorry I am about this. It's a totally unfair situation. I'll try to be the bigger man next time and not engage with Potter or Weasley when they go accusing me of shit. I'm sorry." I whispered again as her tears started anew. I pulled her gently against me and she rested her head on my shoulder, crying softly. I enveloped her hands in one of mine and rested the other gently on her head, holding her to me. I just let her cry over all the pain I was causing her and sat there feeling like complete crap.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, only up till 2 in the morning for this one. Lol! This chapter is something else entirely and I half love it and half want to rewrite it. Haha! The cool thing I want to write...it got away from me again. Next chapter probably - be on the lookout for a cool thing! I couldn't a resist a fight I do love them so, and Ron is such an easy target. I'll repeat, I don't hate Won Won, I just think he's a prat for a good part of this book...and the fourth book...and the seventh book :P But he turns out alright in the end! I tried to make Hermione somewhat fair in the chapter and I hope I succeeded. The only technicality in this chapter in the functioning of the Room of Requirement. It does appear to keep things as is in the books and movies, I don't really know if you could password lock a room...but I did it anyway lol! Sorry if that upsets. I'm such a rambler at 2 in the morning, sorry!**

 **I'll thank my wonderful, amazing reviewers for this chapter! ForsakenKalika, Lovesagoodstory19(thank you for the poem ;)!), CancerScorpio15, emjrabbitwolf(I'll credit it you with reminding me that Hermione probably needs someone to talk to as well, queue Ginny! Thank you!), piratekiddo, chapou69, the guest reviewer, and pinkduck2587! Thank you guys so much!**

 **You knew this was coming. Just type some characters in the box below - even if it's WS get some sleep and quit writing monstrously long AN's, I'll still smile and appreciate it! :P Review, Fav, and Follow my lovelies! Thanks for reading!**

 **~WS**


	11. Of Dusty Rose and Rainstorms

**AN: Short note here, long one at the bottom. We take cannon in this chapter and stomp on it - much harder than previously.**

* * *

11\. Of Dusty Rose and Rainstorms

The week went by quickly and that Saturday was a Quidditch match – Slytherin versus Gryffindor. I was amped to get back onto the pitch and I felt certain that with boy wonder as the team captain and the weasel as keeper we should have this in the bag. I scanned the stands as we hovered in the air awaiting the release of the balls. Blaise and Pansy were sitting together and waved at me as my eyes scanned over them. I smirked and continued my perusal of the stands. My eyes skimmed over Hermione and I noticed she looked…angry about something. I'd have to ask her later. We hadn't made much further progress on the bond and the dream had returned, but we kept on researching whenever we had spare time. There hadn't been much that week what with Quidditch practice and school work, plus Hermione was still trying to patch things up with Weasley. I had agreed to meet her that night in the Room of Requirement.

I snapped myself out of my musings when I realized the game had started with me staring off into space. I flew up higher and circled around keeping my eyes peeled for the snitch. As the game progressed I was shocked by how well the Gryffindor's were doing, especially the weasel, he was blocking nearly impossible shots on the goal hoops. I saw Potter dive out of my peripheral view and saw him zooming toward the snitch. I immediately lay flat against the broom handle and sped down to where the snitch was glinting in the diffuse sunlight. I was a little too late. Potter caught the snitch with a triumphant whoop and dove toward the ground seamlessly going from diving on his broom to running on the ground where his teammates swooped him up in celebration. I noticed the she weasel stalking off the field rather than celebrating with her team and cocked an eyebrow. I lightly touched down on the ground and walked to where my teammates were assembling.

"Sorry guys don't know how Potter always gets so damn lucky with that snitch." My teammates shrugged, no one was happy to lose to Gryffindor, but frankly, we were used to it. We all headed off the changing room. I took a bit more time than everyone else, not in the mood to join the rest of the team for post -game drinks. When I sauntered out of the changing rooms I practically walked into Hermione, who was walking quickly with her head down. We lost our balance a bit and I reached out steadying us. I noticed Hermione was crying. "Woah now Granger what's wrong?" I asked holding firmly to her arm when she looked like she was about to walk away. She ran her fingers under her eyes and blinked a couple of times.

"I'm just SO sick of Ron." The so was very emphatically projected. "I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't with that boy. I just can't handle it anymore."

"What happened? I thought you two were finally getting back on alright terms?" She shrugged and rolled her eyes. Without thinking I dropped my hand to hers and led her out to the Black Lake. I led her to the tree I favoured and helped pull her up onto the branch.

"Harry said that they were walking back to the Common Room yesterday when they happened across Ginny making out with Dean. I guess Ron freaked out. And Ginny was pissed. She said that Ron was only upset because he's never kissed anyone. And then pointed out that Harry has kissed someone, and I kissed Krum in fourth year, and Ron wasn't happy about that. Back in the Common Room Harry and Ron came to sit where I was studying, but when Ginny came back in her and Ron started yelling at each other. Ginny threatened that she wouldn't play today if Ron did. It was ugly." She took a deep breath and quickly flicked her gaze to me, before looking back out at the lake.

"That doesn't really explain why you're so upset." She shook her head.

"Well, Ron was mad about me kissing Krum; I guess he didn't know, so he was giving me attitude about that. Then this morning at breakfast I thought I saw Harry drop some Felix Felicis into Ron's goblet, and it made me angry because that's cheating; when I went to go see them in the changing room after the game Harry revealed that he only pretended to put potion in his cup. The vial was still sealed, and Ron looked at me, mimicked my voice poorly and then got mad because he said I obviously didn't believe he could do well at quidditch without it. Which is ridiculous – I never said that. So he stomped off and Harry was like c'mon let's go party in the Common Room. I just can't, I don't feel like celebrating Ron right now."

"Understandable. I'm sorry Ron is being so horrible to you." She shrugged and I noticed she fought back a shiver. It was pretty chilly out. "Do you want to head in; it's getting kind of cold out." Hermione nodded. I dropped to the ground and helped Hermione down. "I don't fancy going back to my common room; did you want to hang out in the pasta monster?" She nodded with a small chuckle.

"Thanks for letting me vent Draco." I shrugged.

"It's no problem really." We discussed a few different theories we had on the bond on our way up to the Room of Requirement. We had just ducked into a secret passage that was a good short cut when we were stopped up short by a shocking sight in front of us. Weasley was attempting to eat Lavender Brown's face apparently, or maybe that was what he thought kissing was.

"Oh my god!" Hermione shrilled from beside me. The pair sprang apart like they'd just be shocked by electricity.

"Oh, ah, Hermione – and er – Malfoy, don't minds us." Lavender twittered out. I noticed that Hermione and Ron were locked in a staring contest and looked over at Lavender with a grimace.

"You've got some saliva on your face." I told her I indicated the whole area from her nose to her chin. "Just there." She flushed and rubbed her mouth with her sleeve.

"If you two will excuse us we have somewhere to be." Granger narrowed her eyes at Ron and then gave Lavender a sharp glance before we filed past the couple.

"Let me give you a tip mate – girls don't actually like it when you try to fit your mouth over their entire face – focus on her lips." Ron flushed a deep red and I pat his shoulder condescendingly as I walked past him. Hermione said nothing and was radiating tension. I pulled back the tapestry at the other end of the passageway and gestured for her to go through in front of me. We were on seven now and had a short walk to the Room of Requirement. I thought the password for the room and we headed inside.

"What an absolute prat that boy is!" Hermione seethed as soon as we were inside. "He had the nerve this morning to get mad at me for kissing a boy TWO years ago and he goes and does this. He's such an asshole!" I watched her stalk from one side of the room to other ranting about Weasley. I was leaning against the couch watching her and stuck out my arm, lightly grabbing her wrist as she passed by. She looked at me and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Just try to calm down Hermione; he doesn't deserve this kind of reaction from you. He looks absolutely rubbish at kissing too, so I don't think you're missing out on much." She looked down and her shoulders hunched forward. I pulled her gently into a hug and rubbed my hand over her back. Her arms snaked around my back and she breathed a deep breath in. When she expelled the breath she collapsed closer to my chest, and I felt her hands bunch into fist around my shirt.

"I don't even know why I feel this way." She sounded miserable. I held her closer for a moment before letting her go and pulling her around the couch to sit. "I was convinced for years that Ron was it for me. That if he ever just looked at me, he would realize that I was there, waiting for him. I thought after I got mad at him at the Yule ball and told him he could've asked me himself he might have caught wise to it, but he didn't. I've just been stupidly waiting on the sidelines for someone who I'm not even sure I like." She dropped her face into her hands and groaned.

"Honestly Granger, you're too good for him anyway. He's not on your level. He'd bore you in point five seconds. You're going to find someone who can keep up with your intelligence and emotional maturity, and that's just not Ron."

"I don't feel emotionally mature today." She sniffled looking up and me from between her fingers. I shrugged.

"Today's your day off." She gave me a small sad smile and straightened up. I held my arm out to her, and she brought herself gently against my side. We sat in companionable silence for quite a time.

"Thank you Malfoy; you were a life-saver today." Her voice drifted up to my ears.

"You would have done the same for me, I'm sure." I felt her nod against me. We were quiet for a time after that again. Hermione's breath was getting deeper. "Don't know why I care so much about that git." He voice sleepily burbled out. I grinned and flopped my head back against the couch. Soon I heard Granger emitting sleep sounds. Deep breathing, the occasional hum, which I noticed she did in her sleep. I picked my head up and looked down at the witch sleeping on my shoulder. I had gone totally soft-hearted where she was concerned, and I found that I didn't care a bit. I used my hand to tuck her wild hair behind her ear, and just watched her sleeping face for a moment. I felt a weird stirring in my chest and took a deep breath, looking away from Hermione. I moved slowly, tucking my arm under her legs and pulling her up into my arms. I walked slowly and carefully toward Hermione's bed and set her down gently. I was just about to pull away when golden threads started threading between where our ribcages were touching. To say I was shocked was an understatement, I had no idea attachment magic could work without skin to skin contact. I lay next to Granger and slid a hand up my shirt to see if went beneath the fabric to my skin, and sure enough I could feel those magical threads stitched to my ribcage. I sighed. I drew my wand out and summoned one of the books I was reading.

I gently pulled as far from Granger as I could and looked at the magic threads. I noticed another colour running through the gold. It was a soft dusky pink. I pursed my lips already knowing the significance of the colour. As soon as I stopped focusing on pulling away from Hermione the magic tightened and I sighed. I situated the pair of us so that I was propped up against a pillow, and Hermione was resting against my chest, somehow able to sleep through all of the jostling movement. I picked up the book I had summoned and settled in to read it. I doubted Granger would sleep from now till morning, it was only around four in the afternoon – I'd just have to wait out her nap.

* * *

A couple of hours passed and I finally felt Hermione stirring. Her breathing was the first thing to change, and she pulled in closer to me for a moment. She made a fuzzy sounding groan and finally, opened her eyes. She blinked in rapid succession before looking up at me confusion evident in her eyes. "Hi," Her voice was still a little thick with sleep.

"Hi, you feel asleep, and I picked you up to set you in your bed and the attachment magic happened again." I pointed to where we were still stuck together. Hermione pressed a hand in between us and looked at the magical threads curiously.

"That's new. When do you think this bond will stop surprising us?" I shrugged. Hermione blinked a couple more times a stretched. As she was stretching the threads seemed to melt away. Hermione sat up burying her face in her hands for a couple of minutes. "Pink – we both know what that means." Her voice was muffled by her hands.

"It could just mean affection platonically? We've been more open about touching each other lately." Hermione gave me a look that clearly read disbelief. "It's going on six did you want to go to the Great Hall for dinner?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I don't really want to deal with anyone. You can go though." I shook my head.

"I'll stay here with you."

"Thank you," she sighed and dropped her hands; she turned to look at me. I really don't know what I'd have done without you today." I smiled at her.

"You're just lucky I promised I wouldn't start anything with those boys. Otherwise Weasley would have been on the receiving end of some terrible hexes." She grinned.

"Thank you for keeping your word, although one tiny hex might not have been out of line." We both bust out laughing.

"Noted; I read some interesting things while you were napping, found some more experiments we can try." Hermione perked up and for the rest of the evening we focused fully on the bond.

* * *

The week was rolling by fast and before I knew it, it was Thursday, the thirty first of October. Everyone was excited about the Halloween feast, but I was excited because I finally got back the Arithmancy project that Granger had helped me with the week before. Professor Vector had given me full marks and had commended me on my growth in her subject that year. I floated excitedly into the hall for dinner. The floating candles had been replaced with floating jack-o-lanterns and there were bats fluttering about. Halloween decorations hung off of every surface, and there was enough candy to put every single student and their families into a sugar induced coma. As usual for the feat dessert was served first, and by the time dinner came around, I was too full to eat pretty much anything of nutritional value. The entertainment of the evening was a rather dramatic retelling of the Salem witch trails, with acting from our school ghosts.

I caught Hermione's eyes and indicated I wanted to meet up with her. She nodded and I met her out by the four hour glasses that kept track of house points. We just stood next to each other while we waited for the hall to clear out. "Do you have rounds tonight?" I asked her. She shook her head no. "Good, I don't either, pasta monster?" I asked. She smirked and nodded. We set off and bantered back and forth about a ridiculous theory we had come across earlier on in the week. Once we were in the Room of Requirement I went and leant against the arm of the couch.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Well, mostly I just wanted to gloat." I smirked at her and she raised an eyebrow at me. I pulled my graded Arithmancy project out of my bag and handed it to her. She took a quick glance over it and her face erupted into a huge smile.

"Didn't I tell you that you would ace it?" She asked I nodded. She held her hand up for a high five and the resounding clap of our hands seemed to echo in the room. I noticed that Hermione almost seemed to have apprehension in her eyes. She turned to look out the window. Rain was lashing hard against the school and if you listened you could hear thunder far off in the distance. I imagined how the castle would look from the outside. Like a warm safe haven from the vindictive elements. I sort of viewed Hermione that way now. It was bizarre to think that not even a month ago I was certain I hated her. When her eyes returned to me I couldn't ignore the emotion in them.

"Is something the matter, Hermione?" I asked. Out of sheer habit and subconscious instinct I reached out and held her hands in mine. My palms were turned away from body and my finders were threaded through hers. She took a deep breath and then looked up into my eyes, her irises shone golden in the dim light of the room.

"I've seen this exact moment before." Her voice was hushed, almost reverent. "The first night with the attachment magic, I told you I couldn't remember the second half of the dream, but I lied." I squeezed her hands urging her to continue. We were in the Room of Requirement, it was raining, and I had been excited about that paper. "Well, this happened too and then we…" Her voice trailed off and her eyes fell to my lips. I nodded catching her meaning.

"I mean…do you want to?" I felt foolish saying the words, and scared that she might say no. But she didn't answer me, instead she leaned a bit closer, her eyes flicked up to mine, question in them – I could tell she was waiting for me to pull back or meet her half way. It took all the courage I possessed to slowly lean forward. My eyes slid shut as my lips came into contact with hers. Nothing touched save our hands and lips, we both stood still, just with our lips pressed together for several long moments. I slowly brought a bit of movement to the kiss, moving my lips lightly against hers. She kissed me back and sighed into the kiss. Before I could get too clouded over the kiss I pulled back and placed a kiss to each corner of her mouth before drawing back. She smiled up at me and leaned up pressing a kiss to my jaw before settling against my chest – finally letting go of my hands and wrapping her arms around me. I mimicked the action and felt a feeling of absolute calm and contentment wash over me.

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 **AN: Okay, something cooool happened this chapter - it was of course the timid lip lock at the end! I was going to write it in like two chapters ago, but, I had to wait for the right time. Now as I said in the AN at the top we go so far off cannon this chapter, and that's how the rest of the fic will be. A fun little 'behind the scenes' for you. I decided on Pasta Monster for the password because one - I've watched the documentary Party Monster maybe five times too many, and it also made me think of the 'religion' Pastafarianism, where they worship the flying spaghetti monster, which really gets me every time. I'm still going to try and keep pacing very much in check despite the fact that they've now gotten all smoochy smoochy with each other, but I'm also a HUGE lover of fluff, if I could only eat marshmallow fluff and not die from lack of nutrition and diabetes I would, it feeds my soul, so there probably will be some fluffy saccharine moments ahead. Also, last thing I swear, take a shot for every time I typed kiss and lips in the last paragraph(it's 10 times). Is there another descriptive word I could have used? Maybe, but once I realized the gratuitous use of the words I immediately cackled to myself. Blink if you're still with me ;)**

 **I'll take this chance to thank my stellar reviewers since the last update - you guys have made this my most reviewed story out of the eight posted on this site! Lovesagoodstroy19(no time-turner just typing fingers that blur with speed :P), Niamh x, emjrabbitwolf(you should charge for your great ideas!), pinkduck2587, CancerScorpio15(Never!), and Mykie(x3!). You all rule, and deserve freshly baked brownies. ;)**

 **You know what time it is! Click into that little box below, even if you type 'It's half after two Smithy wrote too long and her bed needs her now.' in a terrible parody of Need you now by Lady Antebellum - well, who wouldn't love a review like that? Review, fav, and follow! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	12. Playing with the big boys now

12\. Playing with the big boys now

"What does this mean?" Hermione asked. I drew slightly back from her and shrugged.

"It doesn't need to mean anything if we don't want it to." I replied, and she nodded in response. "I think the best bet is just to take things as they come." She nodded again. I dropped my hands from around her and took her hand instead, leading her around the couch to sit on it. She tucked herself into my side and sighed. My arm went around her and one of her hands played with mine. It felt inexplicably right.

"I'm baffled by this." She admitted quietly. "At the start of the school year I never could have predicted this would happen."

"Neither could I. I left something out of my dream after the first bout of attachment magic too." I admitted. She looked up at me questioningly. "Well I really just glossed over some details. We did fall asleep on the couch, but before that, you were trying to make me feel better about staying here while you left. I assume you were leaving for the holidays and I wasn't. You promised you'd write every day, when I wouldn't look at you, you put a hand on my face and then leaned in to kiss me. I leant us back and the kissing got a little deeper. I pulled back and you cuddled into my side. You fell asleep, and I stayed up just watching you. I suppose I was a little embarrassed to tell you the whole scenario." She nodded, and dropped her head back onto my shoulder. I brought her hand to my chest and laid my hand over hers. "I'm so confused about this, Hermione." I whispered. I felt something akin to a calming draught as Hermione and I sat in companionable silence, soaking in the night so far.

Hermione eventually moved to sit up, but her hand was stuck to my chest. I looked down in surprise and watched as Hermione tried to get her hand unstuck. The attachment magic had other ideas. She got her hand withdrawn enough that we could examine the threads. Still golden and dusky pink, but this time there was a bright luminescence – different from the normal glow the strands usually had. This was so luminous if there was no other light source in the room, this would be enough to see by. "I guess we're going to have to look further into attachment magic." Hermione said wryly. I nodded.

"I really don't understand it, and it is very, very inconvenient." She nodded. "Though this is at least more tolerable than when our ribcages were fused, that was pretty awkward to work around."

"I think it's a bit strange the timing of it happening. I was about to get up, and it's like it doesn't want us to separate." I leant forward and sorted through some of the books on the table. Hermione was only able to find one book on attachment magic and it was that book that I grabbed. I looked through the table of contents scanning till I found what I was after – detaching attachments. I flicked through the pages and found the chapter I was looking for.

"The only way to quell attachment magic is to realize what it is asking of you – reference colour and situations. If you give the attachment, or bonding magic what it wants it should dissipate. Generally the bond is drawing from subconscious wants of the individuals involved in the attachment." I set the book down for a second. "So what do we know about this attachment? It's gold and pink, so illumination, courage and wisdom, affection and love. This brilliant radiance is new too. Is your subconscious in need of something?" I asked she chuckled and shrugged.

"That's kind of the whole point of it being subconscious; you don't know what it wants." I nodded.

"I kind of have a guess what the bond wants, but, I don't fancy letting it control our lives like that." She looked at me in a confused manner. I sighed and raised my eyebrows at her, realization settling over her features. She shrugged.

"It's worth a try." With that before I could even comprehend her sentence her lips were on mine. I was a little shocked to begin with, but began kissing her back anyway. I quickly lost control of the situation, sliding my hands into her wold curls and pulling her closer against me. I was a little surprised by how good she was at kissing, the brief thought I had given it had me thinking the bookish girl would be shy and hesitant about it, but I was wrong. I felt an almost painful burning sensation on my chest as Hermione was able to shift her hand. "Ow." She breathed against my mouth. She pulled back and looked at her hand. I undid the first couple of buttons on my shirt to look at my chest. We were both breathing heavily. The loop was back, but different than last time. It was as though it had been cut into my skin and then healed over. Pink and gold were haphazardly stretching across it. I looked over at Hermione and she looked bewildered, she held her palm out and smack dab in the middle of it looked like a heart. The middle was lined with pink and the outside with gold, it was faintly glowing. She neared me to look closer at my chest.

"I think we should refrain from touching each other from now on, nothing good comes from it." I stated. Hermione must have found something funny about that as she started laughing. She was laughing so hard she was clutching her sides as she fell back. I started chuckling just watching her in hysterics. When we finally calmed down she swiped a quick hand under her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Every time we touch it just gives more research to do." She agreed. She came a little closer to me before whispering, "But I like touching you." I smirked and watched as she got up from the couch and walked into the bathroom. I ran my hands through my hair sighing loudly. This witch would be the death of me.

* * *

Weeks of research and experiments did little to further our understanding of the strange bond we had. I had against my better judgment convinced Granger that we should have a hands off policy until we figured out how to control the attachment magic. The brand on my chest and the one on her hand were still there, and I now had a new one from the one time I had broken down and kissed her again. My palm now matched hers and she had a loop like mine on her ribcage. Hermione had made things very difficult; she was against the hands off policy and tried her best on a daily basis to make me forget about it.

I had been summoned to a meeting in Dumbledore's office in mid-November; I was anxiously sitting in a chair across from Snape as we waited for the head master in his office. I absently fingered the scar on my palm and accidentally drew Snape's attention to it. "What is that on your palm Mister Malfoy?" He asked.

"Nothing sir, there isn't anything on my palm." He gave me a look that told me he wasn't stupid and held his hand out. I sighed and placed my hand upright in his. "It's a long story. And I can't get into the details of most of it." I responded. Snape raised an eyebrow at me. "It was caused by something called attachment magic, if you've ever heard of that." He nodded his head slowly.

"Is it Hermione Granger?" He asked. I shrugged. "This is highly peculiar Draco." I nodded.

"I know professor; there isn't anything I can do about it. Well whatever I can do, I'm doing." I amended.

"You two can come and see me; I can teach you a glamour charm for that." I nodded.

"Thank you sir," At that moment Dumbledore appeared and sat at his desk.

"Sorry to keep you waiting gentlemen, urgent matters arouse, but they're dealt with now." He regarded us carefully over his half-moon glasses. "So, Mister Malfoy, I have been thinking in great deal about your situation and the best way to resolve it and keep everyone involved safe. I think that letting you return to Malfoy Manor over the holidays is a little too risky, I would much prefer you stay here. Severus has been in contact with both of your parents, your mother is willing to break off with you, and your father is not." I sat back at that, never expecting my father to refuse me in this situation. "How we proceed from here is up to you."

"I wish my father would accept help, but, if he doesn't want it there isn't much we can do about it." I shrugged.

"I didn't give many specifics, just asked if I could grant him leniency and help him, and his family get in with the light side would he accept, so no other part of the plan is known to him. If I'm asked about it I'll say I was playing along with a scheme Dumbledore concocted. He said that he still upholds the old ways and believes in purity; no way would he sully his family's name by switching sides. He has faith in Lord Voldemort." I tried to keep a straight face and not let my father's words affect me.

"So, what is the plan then?" I asked.

"It's intricate and top secret." Dumbledore leant forward, intent clear on his face. "What we are about to speak of in this room cannot be relayed to anyone else under any circumstances." I felt my pulse quicken, this sounded frightfully serious. Dumbledore brought his right hand on to the desk and looked down at it with the hint of a frown on his features. The hand was blackened and looked shrivelled. "Sometimes Draco I can be a little too curious. I placed a cursed ring on my hand, and now, well, now I'm dying Draco." I heard the sharp intake of breath from myself and sat in stunned silence. "So, it really would not have mattered if you tried to kill me this year or not, as my time is coming to a close regardless. Severus has been kind enough to help me with certain potions and spells to delay the inevitable, but, still I fade." I looked into his blue eyes that lacked their usual spark, and wondered how a man could talk so calmly about dying.

"I'm sorry sir." I mumbled out, unsure of myself.

"It's alright Draco, just an old man's folly. I tell you this because it is integral in my plan for you. With me gone next year who knows what will happen to this school? My plan is to let Severus kill me in lieu of you, and therefore secure himself a place high within the Death Eaters, where many suspect him loyal to me. With this position, and given his teaching history at Hogwarts it is my hope that Severus is instated as Headmaster – true things will still be terrible around here, but I expect Severus to protect the students." I looked over to Snape who had seemingly stopped listening and was looking in the mid distance. I felt more terribly for him than I could fathom. I wondered if he were actually okay with the plan.

"This is a lot to take in." I commented. Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn't tell you these things if I doubted your capability to handle them Draco. You need to know what is happening in order to stay safe. Severus is in collusion with your mother now; she is reporting falsified attempts on my life to the rest of the Death Eaters, she will also report that the cabinet is broken beyond repair and is not a viable option. At the end of the school year Severus will let your mother, your aunt Bellatrix, and a couple of other Death Eaters onto the school grounds. You will act as his assistant. You will come and find me, you will threaten me, and Severus will kill me. On your flight from the school, one the order members will grab you and make off through the school with you. Your Mother will take off in pursuit of you, the three of you will come here, to my office – and use the only fireplace in the school that is hooked up to the floo network to escape." My brain wasn't functioning.

"I will be heralded a hero of the dark side, and you and your mother declared prisoners of the light. You will then be redirected to the Burrow where the Weasley's live. The Burrow has been afforded every security as that is where Mister Potter will be moved to over the summer." Snape interjected clearing things up a little for me.

"Once at the Burrow you will help Harry with the task I have assigned him. It has a lot to do with dark artifacts, and I believe your unique knowledge on the subject could prove helpful. Have you ever wondered Draco, why death has never killed Voldemort in the past?" I nodded, I was sure everyone had wondered that at some point. "I believe he has split apart his soul and hidden them in items. These items are called horcruxes; I need further confirmation on this though. I'll have Harry explain further at some point in the future if my guess is correct. I know this is an awful lot of new information to filter through Draco. Do you have any questions?"

"Only about a thousand, but I doubt you'd answer most of them. There's no guarantee that my mother and I would get out of the school with your order member, is there?" I asked.

"The minute details of the plan will be tacked down and the chances of you not making it out are slim to none."

"Me and Potter working together, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, if I can be frank with you." Dumbledore grinned and sat back in his seat.

"I cannot know for sure, but, I feel certain the Mister Weasley and Miss Granger will be accompanying Mister Potter and helping as well. I also feel certain in saying that you and Miss Granger are perfectly capable of working together." He looked pointedly at my right hand, which was gripping the arm rest of the chair I sat in. I felt a little uncomfortable that he may be privy to information about that. He always seemed to know everything.

"Granger is a little more balanced than Weasley and Potter. We've been enemies since day one."

"I seem to remember you reporting that Granger punched you in the face in third year. You have all the skills necessary to make Ron and Harry see you as something else too. I wouldn't suggest this plan if I thought it were impossible Mister Malfoy. I propose that you try to squash whatever tension it is that you have with Mister Potter and Mister Weasley." I sighed and took a look back through the conversation trying to think if I had any other questions.

"I have nothing else to ask presently." I responded. Dumbledore nodded and stood. Snape and I got to our feet as well. "Very well, gentlemen I believe dinner awaits." He grinned and strode from the office with us in tow. Dumbledore marched off down the hall, and disappeared from sight. Snape turned to me.

"Are you alright Draco?" He asked. I nodded.

"Are you alright sir?" He gave me a small smile and nodded.

"You're being very brave Draco, I couldn't be more proud of you. I know Dumbledore is helping to get you out of this, but always remember that Dumbledore puts his agenda above all else. If you choose not to work with Potter there is nothing he can do about it." I opened my mouth to reply but realized I had nothing to say. "Be careful Draco, you're playing with the big boys now." I raised my eyebrow at the remark and watched as Snape swooped off down the hallway in that particular way of his. I found my breath whooshing out of my body and leant against the wall behind me for support.

* * *

Later that night I met up with Hermione in the Room of Requirement, she had been dying to know what went on in the headmaster's office. We were sitting next to each other and throwing caution to the wind I held both of her hands in mine. "I can't tell you everything we talked about – some if it is top secret, but I'll tell you what I can." She nodded. "My mother has agreed to come with me to the order, but my father refused." She frowned a bit at that and lightly let her thumbs brush over my hands. "Dumbledore has a plan in place to keep us safe, and then this summer we'll be transferred out to a safe house. He wants me at the Burrow." Her brows knit together at that one. "Apparently Harry is going to need help with something. He wants me to play nice with your boys." I growled out that last bit unintentionally. I didn't like Hermione hanging out with the Gryffindor twits, I hated to admit it, but it made me jealous. She gave me a small smile.

"I'll see if we can tell them you're coming to our side and see if I can help you three get over your differences. Anything I can do to help, I will." She answered. I raised the back of one of her hands to my mouth and kissed it.

"Thank you Hermione." She nodded.

"Of course, are you okay after learning all of that today?" She asked. I shrugged. I thought of one day having to fight my father, I thought of watching Snape, a man who I looked up to, killing Dumbledore. I thought of how hard it would be for him to accomplish what Dumbledore had set out. Tears sprang unbidden to my eyes. I was a little shocked to find myself crying. Hermione didn't say anything but pulled me to her shoulder, wrapping me in her arms. I clung desperately to her as I shed tears of uncertainty for the future.

* * *

 **AN: First things first I need to give credit where it is due, emjrabbitwolf actually gave me the inspiration to make it so Draco was 'kidnapped', thanks! I called this chapter playing with the big boys now because of the prince of Egypt. Hands up if you remember that movie! Anyway one of the songs is called Playing with the big boys and it's creepy and weird, and for some reason when I pictured this chapter I envisioned Snape and Dumbledore dancing about and singing this song because my brain is spastic. So instead of writing that I just got Snape to casually work the line in. Uhm, so I feel sure that Dumbledore knew that Voldy had horcruxes pre Slughorns true memory and really just discovered how many he wanted to make from it. I could be wrong but, that's how I imagined it. Other than that I hoped ya'll enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Big thanks to my wonderful reviewers! Lovesagoodstory19, Mykie(x2), CancerScorpio15, pinkduck2587, piratekiddo, nicolemae666, and emjrabbitwolf! I wouldn't be half as motivated to get these chapters out without you guys! Thank you so much!**

 **C'mon you know I have to! See that box below, just write something in it. Even if you say - I can tell you wrote this chapter in four hours, and I'm appalled - I'll still smile. Because I did write it in four hours, I don't think it's appalling, but you are free to have your own opinion. ;) So review, fav and follow! Thanks for reading!**

 **~WS**


	13. Affection

13\. Affection

Snow was falling in heavy swirls the first weekend of December; the whole school was quiet, like everyone was burrowing in for the weekend. Hermione and I were up in the Room of Requirement. I was reading on the couch with Granger sprawled across my chest, breathing softly as she napped. We had figured out that the dreams had to do with proximity. If we were in the same space and not attached with magic we had no dreams, or just regular dreams. If we were attached magically we had prophetic dreams, but they weren't linked mentally. If we were sleeping in our own dorm rooms we without question had the dream that started it all. We were getting attached less and less, but I wasn't sure why that was I had sent off for a bunch of books on that particular branch of magic and they had arrived earlier on in the week. So, while Hermione napped against my chest I read into attachment magic further. It was very rare magic, and not very well researched for the most part. Even still I had discovered some new and interesting things.

I had learnt that once a pair is bonded by attachment magic the effects were irreversible. An emotional bond would take root and flourish regardless of how the pair felt about each other prior. Interestingly, our magic was now paired – the same magic that was born into me was running through Granger and vice versa. If we were to perform magic together it would be twice as strong because it would automatically draw power from both of us, which could be very handy indeed in the future. I also learned much to Hermione's delight that the best way for us to gain energy was through physical contact, which was why she was currently napping on me. Not that I could really complain. I was just getting to a very interesting bit when Hermione stirred and blinked her eyes open, looking quickly up at me and then dropping her head back down.

"I feel like every time I wake up from a nap, there you are reading. You don't ever nap?" She asked groggily. I marked my place in the book and set it down.

"How could I possibly nap and miss out on you looking adorable while you sleep?" I asked pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She slightly flushed at my comment.

"I'm sure I'm not adorable when I sleep."

"I'm sure you are adorable when you sleep, and I would know better than you. Since I'm awake and you aren't. You just breathe and get this relaxed expression on your face and then once in a while you make a satisfied humming noise in the back of your throat." Her mouth dropped open.

"I do not!"

"You absolutely do Granger."

"Oh, that's embarrassing." She slapped her hands over her face with a groan.

"It's not, it's very endearing." I promised. I pulled her hands away from her face, pressing my lips to each palm as I did so. I gathered her in, closer to me and gently kissed her. Suddenly she started laughing against my lips. I drew back and cocked my eyebrow wondering if she had gone insane.

"I don't know why, but I just started thinking about when we saw Ron and Lavender and he was, like, eating her face, and when you walked past him you were like focus on the lips not engulfing her face!" She laughed really hard for a minute. I smirked watching her antics. "He was so steamed about that, but then actually took your advice and was even madder that you were right." She cackled for a couple more minutes before wiping her eyes which had teared up.

"I'll try not to be offended that you thought of that while we were kissing." I grinned. She lent up and pecked me quickly. Coming to rest on my chest and laughing again, not as hard this time.

"Your kissing is pretty much perfect; I think it was the stark contrast that triggered the thought." I chuckled, running my fingers lightly through her hair.

"Good answer Granger." I tilted her chin up and captured her lips again. This time there was no laughing as I poured all of my affection for Granger into the kiss. That was the emotion really powering all of our exchanges. It wasn't sexual in nature, it was comforting. When I kissed her it wasn't with the intention of ever taking it further. Any time we held hands or cuddled it was with the express need of wanting comfort. It was odd because I certainly was attracted to Granger, and had been for a while despite our differences. But, I wanted nothing more than what we had then. I had talked to Hermione about it, sure that there was something wrong with me, but she had agreed that she only felt affection toward our exchanges as well. We had come to the conclusion it must be a limitation caused by the attachment magic or our bond. Hermione pulled back a little breathlessly.

"Are you ready for this evening?" She asked me. I shrugged. She shimmied down a bit and stacked her hands over my chest dropping her chin onto them and looking up at me. "It's going to be fine." She assured me.

"I just don't like them Granger."

"You didn't like me at the beginning of the year." She pointed out.

"This," I gestured between her and me. "Was supposed to happen and we can't control it. I don't have to play nice with boy wonder and the weasel. I'm not magically linked to them."

"Is that the only reason you spend time with me, because we're magically linked?" She tried to hide the hint of pain behind the statement and masked it with derision. I shook my head at her wrapped my arms over her torso.

"Of course not Granger, you know that." She seemed mollified. "But just because we're bonded and like each other doesn't mean your friends are any less ridiculous. I'm going to try and get along with them because I care about you, but don't ever count on us being best friends that go skipping through meadows hand in hand and collapse in the grass in a fit of giggles, where we begin making each other flower crowns. That's not going to happen." Hermione smiled and bit her lip keeping in a laugh. "I would only ever do that with Blaise as per our agreement." She did laugh at that and shook her head at me.

"I don't think Harry and Ron would be keen on that anyway. You can frolic with me whenever you like though." I chuckled and held her tighter for a moment. "As long as you lot promise to be civil that's all I can ask for."

"I'll behave if they do." I promised.

* * *

The evening rolled around quicker than I liked and soon Hermione and my sanctuary was invaded by potty and the weasel, I had transfigured the beds into arm chairs, Harry sat in one and Ron in the other, while Hermione and I sat on the sofa. Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "So, I know that you guys are puzzled by Draco and me hanging out, and we have a couple of things to tell you. We don't know some of the details ourselves, but will try to explain the situation to the best of our ability. Dumbledore has also met with both of separately, and is adamant that this will work."

"Okay, so what has been going on with you two this year?" Harry asked. He at least seemed open to talking, Ron was seething in his chair. I looked at Hermione; I was terrified to divulge anything to these two boys. Hermione had made them write on a piece of paper before we started and shot a meaningful look at them as she charmed the paper. I'd have to ask her to explain that later, all she had said before was that it was an assurance. I took a deep shaky breath and Hermione gently put her hand on my arm squeezing gently.

"I had a bad summer." I started out. Trusting in Hermione and her ability to keep her boys quiet, I gently removed her hand from my arm and rolled up the sleeve on my left arm.

"I knew it!" Potter declared. "Didn't I tell you guys? I knew I was right."

"Yes, yes, Harry you're very clever. Please be quiet and let Draco explain." She shot Harry a glare and then looked over to Ron, who was sitting in his chair white-faced and unusually mute.

"The Dark Lord has ways of making you do things that you don't want to do. He was mad at my father following the incident at the Department of Mysteries, and he took it out on me. I took this mark because he has the power to destroy my life. He threatened to kill my parents, raze our house, and many other unspeakable atrocities. So, I took the mark."

"Are you telling me you didn't want that?" Ron finally asked. I shook my head.

"Why would I want this?"

"Isn't it an honour for your lot?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I'm sure some people might view it that way. But there isn't anything honourable about it. I never wanted it; it binds you in ways that make you have no control over your own life. Anyway, after I took it, I started dreaming about Hermione, every single night."

"I had started having the same dream about him every single night as well. I approached him about it, and he denied dreaming about me."

"I continued denying it for about a week, and then I asked her to meet up with me. "

"This is where it gets complicated and you two need to keep a level head. You remember last year when we had the DA and I charmed the parchment and Marietta Edgecombe had that eruption on her face because if it?" Both boys nodded. I wasn't particularly sure where this was going. "Draco and I took an unbreakable vow in October, where I promised I wouldn't tell anyone what I had learned about him and vice versa. By signing the parchment you're extended into the vow. If you talk about anything we tell you here, I will die." Both boys looked at each other and then back at Hermione.

"You couldn't just trust us?" Ron asked harshly. "This is very extreme Hermione!"

"Ron, I'm sorry, but I know how your temper is, and Harry sometimes you can be a little loose lipped about things. I couldn't chance it and I wouldn't leave a secret this big to chance. Please try to understand." Both boys looked extremely angry. I was wowed by the forethought and wondered if the threat were real or if she was just telling them that. "After we began discussing the dream I convinced Draco to go to Dumbledore."

"He's promised to help me and my mother leave the Death Eaters. I was tasked with killing Dumbledore and I won't do it. So, I'm on your side now I guess. Hermione and I continued looking into the dream and discovered that we are blood bonded. We still have no clue why, we're still researching it, but, blood bonded pairs are brought together for a very specific reason." I looked over at Hermione and she nodded. We held our palms out where the hearts could still be seen.

"We've had an unfortunate side effect of a blood bond, which is called attachment magic. Basically magical threads literally attach you together and when they disappear they scar your skin. It means that our magic is tied together now."

"You are bonded forever?" Ron asked. I almost felt sorry for him. Even though he was dating Brown I knew that he had a thig for Hermione. We both nodded.

"So what does that mean?" Harry asked. "You two are like in love now?"

"No, not quite –uhm, blood bonds create roots where a relationship grows no matter the desires of the people involved with it. But it doesn't necessarily mean anything romantic." Harry looked over at Ron and they shared a look of disbelief. "Regardless of if it is friendship or something more Draco and I are intrinsically linked now. I could not go very long without being around him, much the way you can't go long without food or sleep."

"I'll go on to the reason why you two are being told this in the first place. Dumbledore is having me planted at the Burrow this summer. He said that you will need my help with something - that we will need to work together. So, Hermione decided that we should start trying to become less hostile with each other. I know this situation is not ideal, and under any other circumstances we would go on hating each other forever, but this is how it is. I'm willing to be civil toward you if you extend the same courtesy to me."

"I'll never be friends with you ferret." Ron stated off the jump. "I'll resist hexing you and try not to insult you, that's the best I can offer." I nodded.

"Ronald." Hermione glared at him. I put my hand over hers and shook my head.

"It's fine, that's enough to ask for." We all turned to look at Harry he was deep in thought.

"This all sounds absolutely mad. You two realize that?" He asked. We nodded. "I can't promise that we will never fight, and I can't promise that I'll ever be able to see you differently than I do now, but I'll try. I'll try work with you guys. If it's what Dumbledore wants, and if it's the only way to stay friends with you Hermione, I'll do it." She smiled and got up pulling Harry into a hug. I felt something burn on my chest, and momentarily saw a haze in front of my eyes. Jealousy burst forth and it took all my control to tamp it down. Weasley walked over to me while Hermione was chatting with Potter.

"You must think you've got it pretty good Malfoy. I don't know how you've managed to trick Hermione and Dumbledore like this, but, I don't trust you. Not for one second. I'll be watching you closely ferret, and when you slip up – I will take pleasure in hexing you to oblivion." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Luckily for me there won't be any slip ups. That and you're rubbish at spell work." I couldn't resist the jab and sent Weasley a smirk. His jaw flapped open and closed a couple of times before he clenched his jaw and stormed over to Potter and Hermione.

"I've heard about all I can tonight. I'll see you two later, after you're done cozying up to this blonde git." He strode from the room quickly and Hermione looked between me and Potter before dashing off after the weasel. I sighed and plopped down onto the couch. Harry came and sat on the coffee table, facing me.

"This is pretty wild Malfoy." He declared.

"Try living it, it's a lot wilder." I crossed my arms and looked over at him.

"How do I know I can trust you?" He asked.

"Hermione trusts me, surely you think her capable of discerning who she can trust, and who she can't. Dumbledore as also given me his trust and I had to prove I was worthy Potter." I knew Dumbledore was the magic word with Harry. He believed that man could do no wrong.

"I've been taking private lessons with him. If I ask him about this, he'll know what I'm talking about?" He asked.

"As far as him trusting me yes, you have to be careful what else you talk to him about. He doesn't know about the blood bond or the dreams or any of that. If you tell him that you'll endanger Granger." He nodded.

"You really do care about her, don't you?" He asked. "I've never seen you act the way you do around her. Just know this Malfoy, if you hurt her – I'll hurt you." I smirked and shook my head.

"You and Weasley are practically the same person you know? He said the same thing only a lot smarmier. The difference here being that I believe you could do damage, and I don't believe he could." Harry took a deep breath and looked down for a moment.

"Ron isn't exactly attuned to his emotions. I think he was finally working out that he likes Hermione, and now she's been spending time with you. He doesn't deal well with conflict, and never has. I doubt he'll ever see you as anything except Malfoy the evil ferret. I'm going to try, for Hermione's sake I'm going to try to get along with you. You're different this year, everyone can see that, and I hope it's true."

"Thanks Potter; I'm going to try my best too. It's not easy going from hating someone to working with them, but, I've got a lot to prove in the coming years. I hope you'll see that I really am changed." Just then Hermione came back in the room, brushing tears from her eyes.

"He's absolutely impossible." She seethed as she dropped on the couch next to me. I put and arm around her and Harry placed a hand on her knee. I fought back my anger at the motion. Hermione reached out and grabbed my hand, our two heart shaped scars pressing together. Suddenly I felt the pull of attachment magic. I looked at Hermione and raised my eyebrow. We tried to separate our hands but couldn't. We got them far enough apart to inspect what was happening. Two new colours threaded into the mix. Red twined in with pink and then there were strands of green, not very many but enough that you could see them. I looked up at her and then over to Harry who looked equally intrigued and equally like he might faint.

"That's attachment magic?" He asked. Hermione and I nodded. Our palms slapped back together and I looked at Hermione.

"Great." We said at the same time. We started laughing and Harry looked at us like we were bonkers.

"I'm going to go find Ron, see if I can talk him down."

"Thank you Harry, thank you for having an open mind about this," Hermione smiled.

"Yes, thanks Potter, it's pretty cool that you're not freaking out over this." He grinned and said goodbye before exiting the room. "There's never a dull moment around us, huh," Hermione smiled and I nodded.

"I want to thank you as well, Draco. Tonight could have been a huge disaster but it wasn't I appreciate what you're doing for me." I grinned and pulled her to me pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

"At this point Granger, I'm certain I would do anything for you."

* * *

 **AN: Hey what's up you guys? Yup, another update! I'll clear up a few things you might be going ? over. So if you read carefully, Draco and Hermione only divulge things about themselves, things that they put in motion, so it isn't technically breaking the vow. I'm leaving it a testament to how strongly Draco now trusts Hermione that he is even talking with Harry and Ron about this. For once I totally agree with how Ron acts in this chapter, I mean, Hermione was actually very sneaky and underhanded making them sign something that could unknowingly kill her. I blame Draco for rubbing some Slytherin off on her. Again though I did feel that assurances were needed. The first half of this chapter was just full out fluff and I'm not sorry. :) I'm trying very hard to keep characterization true. Like, Ron is a hot head that takes some time to come around, Harry is a little more open minded etc. The tricky part is keeping Draco Draco and Hermione Hermione because I'm altering their relationship so heavily. Hope I'm doing these characters justice.  
**

 **A special shout out to my wonderful reviewers! emjrabbitwolf, Lovesagoodstory19, ForsakenKalika, chapou69, pinkduck2587, CancerScorpio15, and Mykie. I'm so, so lucky that you all have been reading this and leaving me reviews, they make my day!**

 **You saw this one coming. In the box below write something and hit submit. Even if it's just - Please bake me some cookies - I'll be happy. On top of writing Dramoines I'm also an accomplished baker ;) So Review, Fav, and Follow! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	14. Irresistible Sliminess

14\. Irresistible Sliminess

"You would do anything for me?" She asked with a grin I nodded. "Good, I would do anything for you too." I smirked and pulled her to me, sealing my lips over hers. I felt a heat building between us that had never been there before and my mind snapped back to our hands being attached. Red, I thought to myself, unwilling to pull away and voice it. The other colour, green, was a little harder it had two sets of meaning, one was positive, the other not so much. Again, I ignored the attachment in lieu of snogging Hermione. Our attached hand just stayed suspended between us, while my free hand glided down her side to rest on her hip, and pulled her closer to me. She hummed lightly in the back of her throat and the sound drove me wild. I was about to pull back, but her hand threaded into my hair and she pulled closer yet. I gave in for a few more minutes but knew I'd have to put an end to it soon if I wanted to avoid a mistake. I leisurely changed the tone of the kiss, going from something desperate and clawing to something a little more familiar, just a comforting exchange. Hermione sensed my intentions and I felt her smile against my lips before pulling back to feather kisses down my throat. She rested her head lightly on my shoulder and sighed. I brought my hand to her hair and held her against me for a couple of minutes while our breathing and heartrate slowed.

"See, this is why you should always listen to me." I brought our fused hands level with her eyes. She laughed and looked up at me.

"I don't really care about this, do you" I thought about it.

"I guess not, it could be really inconvenient if either of us are attached have to go to the bathroom, or we got attached somewhere more awkward than hand to hand. But I suppose for the most part the pros outweigh the cons. I would have thought that kiss just now would have dispelled the attachment, but there must be something else it wants."

"Well that certainly would have broken it before, and even with the red thrown in there, it probably would have been broken, it's the green I think. Red, passion and desire, and all of that – that's new, I don't know what to think about that."

"Are you worried about it?" I asked. Her eyes flicked down for a second before looking back up at me.

"I don't have…much experience with passion or desire, as it relates to romance anyway. I'm afraid I won't be good at it." Her cheeks tinged with pink and she looked down. I found an affectionate smile covering my mouth. I tilted her chin up with my finger.

"You're already good at it." I assured her. "Don't worry about the mechanics of anything; we'll just deal with this bonding stuff and our emotions as they come up. We're not going to rush into something we aren't ready for." She smiled and gripped my hand where we were attached a little tighter, thanking me without words.

"So, it must be the green still keeping us together. Now I hardly think that it means nature and prosperity in this case." She shot me an amused look. "Were you jealous Draco?"

"I don't mind admitting that I was. It's who I am. I never did share well. I know we're not officially an anything, but, I don't like it when you run after the weasel and I don't like it when Potter touches you. I understand that they're your friends and it doesn't mean anything when you do those things, and I'm not asking you to stop. It just triggers the jealousy in me."

"I'll keep it to a minimum, but you know Draco it really doesn't mean anything to me outside of friendship. Harry is like the brother I never had growing up, and while I used to think I had feelings for Ron, I can see how wrong I was. They are my very best friends, and we've been through so much together that I can't imagine my life without them." I nodded.

"I'm not asking you to change anything."

"I know, and I appreciate that. Would it make you feel better if we put some kind of parameters on what we are?" I smirked.

"Is that bookworm for Draco will you be my boyfriend?" I asked, she smacked my arm lightly but smiled.

"I guess so; I know it couldn't be a public thing…more just a way for us to know where we stand." I grinned at her response.

"Hermione Granger, will you be my girlfriend?" I asked with a grin. She laughed and nodded.

"Of course," As soon as she assented the attachment magic burned off and we could finally separate our hands. The symbol had altered slightly, there was a band encircling the heart. The heart remained gold and pink, and the band was red and green. Hermione's looked identical to mine. I already knew what this meant symbolically, and while the circle could represent the commitment of an engagement, I was sure that this just stood for the commitment to each other that we had just made. Which probably went deeper than anything I had experienced before – we both knew that fighting the bond was near impossible, and though I didn't want it to control my life I couldn't be unhappy about where we were headed.

"I still maintain the right to flirt with Blaise though." I told her, she bust out a laugh and shook her head at me.

"I'm not threated by Zabini." She declared.

"Good, he's got nothing on you – but he is rather charming." She laughed.

"Well if you get to flirt with Blaise I want to be able to flirt with Luna Lovegood."

"Fine by me, bit of an odd choice, but, I support you. The only thing is what if Blaise and Luna start dating each other and we can't flirt with them?"

"Well then I guess I'll be stuck flirting with you." She grinned. "I can somehow oddly picture Blaise and Luna hitting it off." She commented.

"Maybe that's the purpose of our bond…to be matchmakers." I joked. She laughed and shook her head at me.

"You're ridiculous." She intoned. I ginned and pulled her against my side, she instantly cuddled in.

"Yeah, but you like it." She made a sound of assent and relaxed further against me; I smiled and wondered as I often did how my life had changed so completely.

* * *

"Oi, Malfoy, wait a minute!" I heard a shouting from behind me. It was early in the week after Hermione had tried to make Potter, Weasley, and myself friends, and I was just heading to the dungeons after class when Weasley could be seen striding after me and calling to me. I turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Something I can do for you Weasley?" I asked.

"I want to talk to you." He asserted. I shrugged and looked around us the halls were full of students milling around. He tilted his head indicating I should follow him. We wound up in some obscure alcove I had never before noticed.

"Is this the part where you confess your feelings for me?" I asked with a laugh. Alcoves were almost exclusively populated by couples looking for a quick snog or a heated argument.

"Yeah, how did you guess Malfoy?" I found myself surprised by the response.

"Well you did pull me into an alcove…." The left side of his mouth dipped up in a grin.

"Aside from your irresistible sliminess I did actually want to talk to you about something." He paused, taking a deep breath before talking. "Harry told me what he saw the other night…the attachment stuff. I want to apologize for the way I've been acting towards you all year. I saw you getting close to Hermione and I panicked. I guess I understand now why it was all happening, and that makes it easier to deal with. I don't think you and I will ever be good friends, but, if you are going to be part of Hermione's life then I suppose I'll have to get used to you. That and you'll be staying at my house this summer too. You might not be the Draco Malfoy we always thought you were." I took a moment to reflect on what he had said.

"I am trying to change. I appreciate you coming to talk to me, I know you don't like me, and I know we will never be best friends, but, I'm going to try to prove I'm not the ferret I used to be." Weasley nodded.

"I'll still be watching you know?" I nodded.

"Rome wasn't built in a day Weasley." He wrinkled his forehead not quite catching what I meant. "I understand gaining trust won't be instant. Thank you for the chance and thank you for talking to me. I'll try to reign in any ginger weasel jokes that may be floating around in my head and discard them."

"I'll try not to cause anymore scenes in the Library yelling about you brainwashing Hermione."

"That would be greatly appreciated." We nodded at each other and I remembered that I had rounds with him this evening. "I'll see you later up on third, we've got patrol together tonight."

"Right," he nodded. "See you then." With that he stepped out of the alcove, and I watched his retreating form feeling a little confused. This year was doing my head in.

* * *

The sky was full of frosty, sparkling snow – beautiful, but deadly cold. Professor Sinistra seemed to be losing her mind calling for a late night star gaze in the middle of winter. We couldn't even cast heating spells because magic clouded what we saw, apparently. She insisted there was a rare celestial event happening that we had to see, but, no one could see much of anything. After two hours of listening to her prattle on, and trying to see out of a telescope, she finally decided to call it a night. "Professor Trelawney promised me this storm would pass. I'm very sorry students; I know you all really wanted to see the eclipses that were happening." The whole group made mildly irritated sounds as we headed down from the Astronomy Tower. I exchanged a glance with Hermione and gave a slight nod. We both took separate ways, but ended up in the Room of Requirement. Hermione had arrived first and was standing by the fire thawing her hands. I looked out the window at the snow. I'd been here before.

"You've dreamt about this haven't you?" Hermione asked drawing my attention. I nodded. I walked over to her and wrapped her hands in mine.

 _"_ _What, are you actually part furnace?"_ She asked in a perfect duplication of my dream. She covered her hands more fully with mine.

"Good one Granger." I felt like I was reading from a script as I pulled her over the sofa and sat holding her icy hands. A sigh escaped me as if on cue, Hermione gave me a questioning glace. "I don't want you to leave tomorrow." It was the first day of winter holidays the next day, I was staying put at Hogwarts, and she was going home to see her parents. It would be not only really boring for me without her around, but it would also press the limitations on our bond. We had only ever gone around twelve hours without seeing each other, and less than a full twenty-four hours without hanging out since the attachment had happened. Hermione threw me a sympathetic look.

"You'll be fine Draco, probably happier without me bugging you all the time. I'll write to you, at least once a day." She slid a hand out from between mine and placed it gently on my face. "I'll be back before you know it." My eyes dropped seemingly of their own accord and I nodded. She pulled closer to me and laid her lips over mine. I leant us back, and felt Hermione's body draping over mine. She added a bit more power to the kiss; I smirked and pulled back, unwilling to let it get too heated. Hermione rested her head on my shoulder, and I hugged her closer to me.

"Every day, you promise?" I asked. She nodded in response. "Good," My hands roamed lazily up and down her back drawing circles. I looked down and saw that she was sleeping against me. I smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. I didn't honestly know what I was going to do without her for two weeks. My mother was telling everyone that I had come down with some highly contagious illness and was being sequestered in the hospital wing until it could clear up. I fell into the last dreamless sleep I would have in weeks, holding Hermione firmly to me. Her stirring in my arms was what woke me in the morning as well.

"Morning Draco, did I wake you?" I nodded closing my eyes again.

"It's okay. What time is it?" I asked.

"Half past eight." She replied. "I need to get my packing done and get down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The train leaves at eleven."

"Don't remind me. I can't come down for breakfast because I'm already supposed to be sick in the hospital wing." She frowned and laid herself against me. Her lips pecked at my neck twice.

"I'll miss you too, you know." I nodded. I took hold of her hand with mine and pulled her close to me, sealing our lips together in a kiss. It was raw and heated and for once I didn't really care. I poured my feeling for her into the kiss, and felt her reciprocate. I kept our hands fused together, and the other one wandered into her hair, holding her close to me. Her other hand was bunched in my shirt, right over my sternum. She hummed as my tongue brushed against her lower lip and intensified the kiss. My hand slid from her hair, falling to her back before coming to rest on her low back, under her shirt. In a rare occurrence for us, Hermione pulled back first. Her breath heaving in and out of her body, her face flushed, it did nothing to quell the ardor I felt for her at the moment. "I have to go." She breathed. "I'll come and see you before I go down to the Great Hall." I nodded.

"Sorry if this was…too much." She smiled at me and leaned in kissing me once more.

"It wasn't too much. But, I can't be late today, and it was verging into this will make me stay at Hogwarts because I've missed the train territory."

"Well in that case…" I grinned kissing her again. She laughed against my lips. She shifted to she was standing and finally broke the kiss.

"I'll be back to say good-bye. See you soon!" I waved her off and sighed plopping my head back against the couch. My body had unfortunately reacted to the heated exchange and I had to deal with it before Hermione got back. I headed toward the bathroom and started the shower. I had moved quite a few of my things up the Room the night before, knowing this is where I would be spending most of my time during the holiday. I stepped under the water and quickly dealt with the issue at hand before actually showering and then toweling off. I put a fresh outfit on and then padded out to the main room to wait for Hermione. The thought of spending two weeks without her was verging on terrible, but, we didn't have a choice. I would never ask her to spend Christmas away from her family, and there was no way I could go with her. I crossed my arms and tried not to scowl. I was one of the only students staying behind this year so I could go to the Library and wander the castle freely, but that was the only perk. I was drawn from my thoughts by the door opening. Hermione appeared and I stood up.

"Don't leave me." The words tumbled from my mouth and I was shocked by them. She frowned and walked toward me.

"You know I don't want to, but, I can't pass up this Christmas with my parents."

"I know, I didn't mean to say that." I reached out and took her hands in mine, our palms pressed together and our fingers entwined. "I'll miss you so much." I felt vulnerable and odd saying it. Where was the Draco from the beginning of the year I wondered idly, he was invulnerable and didn't care one iota for Granger.

"I'll miss you too! I'll write you as soon as I get settled in at my parents' house. I've convinced Harry to lend me Hedwig for the holidays, so it'll be easier for me to keep in contact with everyone."

"That was nice of him." I commented. I really must thank Potter for that, I thought. "One good thing is I'll probably have figured out everything to do with our bond before you come back, because I'll be bored senseless." She tried to smile and nodded. "Have a good holiday." I whispered. She nodded.

"I'll be back before you know it." She stepped closer and laid her lips against mine. I kissed her softly. We broke the kiss and she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before stepping back and letting her go. "Bye Draco," She said quietly taking another step back towards the door.

"Bye Hermione," I was just as quiet as she took the last step and walked out the door. I frowned and made my way to the couch flinging myself down onto it in a huff. This was going to be a long couple of weeks.

* * *

 **AN: Let's get right onto the note. This chapter is a little...messy? I was not too sure what I wanted to accomplish with it, but, I think it turned out alright. It's very hard to reign in the fluffy bunnies that are bouncing around in my brain, but the story needs substance I guess... I might kind of power through the rest of the school year here, because most of the story points that I have planned happen later on. But we'll see what my fingers decided while I'm writing. Things are getting a little caliente between our two lovebirds here. Like I said trying to reign myself in.**

 **Thanks as always to my brilliant reviewers! Loesagoodstory19(I'll take that challenge!), nicolemae666, ASJS(Welcome back!), pinkduck2587, Mykie, and CancerScorpio15! You guys are the absolute best!**

 **Now, I don't ask for much, but I will ask that you type something in that box below and submit it, even if it's - I hoover up fluff bunnies for fun - I'll be still be happy, because it's my story, and not yours, so you can't hoover. :P So Review, Fav, and Follow my lovelies! Thank you so much for reading!  
**

 **~WS**


	15. Christmas

15\. Christmas

Christmas Eve had come and gone, and I was sitting alone, re-reading the letters Hermione had sent me over the holidays.

 _December 21_ _st_

 _Dear Draco, I've made it home alright, Mom and Dad are happy to have me here, and have a crazy week planned for Christmas here. Both of my parents tend to teeth for a living, so I'm not allowed any sweets while I'm here, you better have extra for me!_

 _The train ride was pretty exciting; Ron and Lavender had a screaming match that ended in them snogging each other senseless; Seamus and Dean decided to set fire to their compartment, and(I think you'll like this one) I found Blaise and Luna chatting in a corridor. He barely even flirted with me as I walked past!_

 _That's all to report for now. I do wish you could be here. I miss you terribly already._

 _See you in my dreams, Hermione._

 _December 22_ _nd_

 _Dear Draco, I feel very tired today, not sure why. Mom and I went shopping, I bought a gift for you, but you'll just have to wait for Christmas morning to get it. I ran into Neville when I was shopping and I finally met his gran, I understand now why he's so scared of her._

 _I hope you're doing alright I know you said yesterday was lonely. Have you read anything else noteworthy on the bond? I can't wait to see you again, I know I said it yesterday, but, it's still true today – I miss you._

 _Yours, Hermione_

 _December 23_ _rd_

 _You'll have to run that theory by me in person, I think something is getting lost in translation, or maybe it is just that crazy? A trifecta? I don't know about you but my attachment scars are getting a little itchy._

 _Today Dad and I went to the tree lot and picked out a Christmas tree we are just waiting for Mom to get home and then we are going to decorate it. Have you ever decorated a tree? It's one of my very favourite traditions. I feel like I've been sleeping a lot since I've been here, have you been more tired too?_

 _You sounded like yesterday went better, I can't imagine playing chess with Snape, but at least it's something to do! I think my parents are getting suspicious of you, but I don't think I can tell them. Not yet._

 _I'm still missing you, Hermione_

 _December 24_ _th_

 _Your scars are itching too, that's an annoying discovery. We could write a book on attachment magic ourselves by the time all is said and done. We knew that attachment magic meant that our energy was linked to each other; I just didn't think it would have this effect. The fatigue seems to have plateaued but I feel like I've spent the majority of this holiday sleeping._

 _You've never decorated a tree, that's tragic Draco! I did bust out laughing about you stealing one for the Room from the foyer. Mom and I made some sugar-free cookies today, which actually taste better than they sound. I'll send you one with this letter! Tomorrow is Christmas, it's practically here! Do you believe it? I hope you're excited for your present!_

 _My parents have full on been bugging me, so I told them there was a boy I was getting close to. They made fun of me all evening. I'm glad Snape is keeping you company, I think I'm seeing a different side of him this year too. Time for another nap I think, I'm dreadfully tired._

 _Yours, Hermione_

I was waiting for her owl still and looked through the other presents I had received. I had gotten a new quill from my mother and father, a book on 'useful' divination from Blaise, and designer sweater from Pansy. I looked up at the rapping sound on the window. Hedwig was flapping her wings waiting for me. I crossed to the window and opened it. She perched on the table and let me take the note and package from her leg. "Just rest for a minute girl I have something for you to take back to Hermione." She hooted and rested her head in her wing. I quickly opened the note first.

 _December 25_ _th_

 _Happy Christmas Draco! I hope the day is going well for you so far! I really hope you like your gift, it's not much, but, I think you'll like it. The Weasley's have convinced my parents to come round for Christmas dinner, so I guess I'll be at the Burrow this evening._

 _I think I'm going to write Dumbledore and see if he'll let you out for a day or something, I don't think I can go the whole two weeks. It's physically too much, and I miss you a lot. I'm looking forward to hearing back from you; tell me what else you got for Christmas. The Weasley's as always spoiled me with a jumper and some baking, my mother and father got me a set of muggle books I had asked for. Harry got me a colour changing quill, and Ron got me a journal, I think they went shopping together which is pretty adorable._

 _Anyway I need a nap before we head off to the Burrow. I hope I'll see you soon._

 _Yours, Hermione_

I carefully put the note on top of the other ones and opened the gift she had gotten me. There were two parts to the gift, one was high quality ink in my favourite shade, emerald, and the other was a leather bound book, the front cover was embossed with the letters _Attachment Magic for Dummies by Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy_. In between the title and the written by Hermione had embedded the Agate that our blood had produced. I found myself smiling stupidly at the gesture. I opened the front page and Hermione had already written out an index and left another note for me, saying that when the war was done we should shed light on this particular brand of magic.

I quickly scribbled out a reply to her, and attached what I had gotten her. I had managed to source out a magic jeweler who had through correspondence found some Fire Agate and fashioned a beautiful pair of earrings out of them. I didn't know if it was too much, and I didn't really care. I woke Hedwig up with a soft pet to her head and her eyes blinked open. I got a treat for her and waited patiently while she ate it. "Alright Hedwig, Hermione should still be at her parents, if she's not she'll be at the Burrow." The owl held her leg out while I attached my gift and letter. She gave a hoot before flapping her wings and setting off through the window. I sighed and turned back to the small pile of things sitting under the stolen tree and decided to leave the Room. I quickly slid a cloak over the casual outfit I was wearing and left. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going, so I just started wandering. I didn't meander for long when Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere and beckoned me.

"Happy Christmas Draco," He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Happy Christmas Sir," I replied.

"You have a guest waiting for you in my office." I furrowed my brow in confusion. Dumbledore simply smiled wider and indicated that I should follow him. I did, and soon we were right outside his office. He opened the door and inside sat my Mother. I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face at seeing her.

"Mother, this is a surprise!" She stood and opened her arms; I went and hugged her tightly. She drew back and put her hands on my face.

"I couldn't let you spend Christmas alone Draco, I don't have much time, but, I had to see you." I leaned back into her chest feeling like a five year old clinging to his Mother. I didn't care.

"I'll leave you two to it." Dumbledore smiled and bowed out of his office.

"I can't believe you're here!"

"Of course I am. You know Draco, there are certain things I can't write to you, they're always watching. So I planned this last minute. I brought you all of your favourite sweets, had the chef working on them all morning." She smiled and produced a basket. I opened it and grinned. One of my favourite Christmas's we had gone to Canada. And some of the things I had eaten there were out of this world good. There were beaver tails, and maple fudge, and little doughnut holes called timbits. There were Nanaimo bars, butter tarts, flapper pie, and Saskatoon berry jam. I was amazed.

"This is amazing, thank you!" She smiled and fished out a timbit popping it her mouth with a smile.

"Draco, I am so proud of you dear! I wish I could have told you sooner. I just want our family to be safe; I don't care about all this blood purity nonsense anymore. I wish your Father would see it our way." She frowned and I reached a hand out to her.

"We might be able to save him yet, it's not too late." She looked up at me and a smile returned to her face.

"You've become a man in the months since I last saw you. I don't know where you ever got the courage to do this, but I'm glad you did." She gripped my hand back and pulled back astonished. She looked at my hand where I had, of course, forgotten to cast a glamour over the attachment scar there. "What is this Draco?"

"It's complicated Mother."

"It's attachment magic, who are you attached to?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"How do you know about that?"

"It's the Black family curse. It usually skips three generations so I never thought to warn you about it until you were ready to have children yourself."

"The black family curse? How have I never heard of this?"

"It's not something that we pride ourselves on. You know my sister Andromeda?" I nodded. "She was involved in attachment magic, that's how she ended up with Ted Tonks. She was always different from Bella and me, but when she got attached to Ted it got even more apparent. Whoever you're attached to is a muggle born, yes?" I nodded. "It's an old blood curse." She sighed looking down at my palm. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Are you happy?" She asked.

"It's hard to describe the feeling, but, yes, I'm happy. I can't tell you who, not yet." She nodded. "Can you tell me more about the curse?" She nodded and launched into a tale. I reached into my bag and pulled out a piece of parchment I had inside and scribbled out the tale as my Mother told it so I could related it perfectly back to Hermione.

"A long time ago, your many times great grandfather Serpens was living in a muggle township. He was estranged from his wife and children and miserable. Of course at the time blood purity was of even greater importance than it is now –Serpens did not believe in it and spurned his wife over it. She threw him out and that was how he ended up in the muggle town. The name has been lost to time, but it was known as land central. Serpens secretly started casting magic on some of the muggles in the area, instilling fate into their bloodline. Then, before he died he cursed his own family, that members will form attachment bonds to descendants of the muggles in that village, therefore breaking the blood purity in the Black household. It's been happened in three other generations including my mine. I never thought it could happen to you Draco." I set down my parchment and quill.

"It's alright mother, and it may actually be a very good thing in this case."

"I can't help but admire you Draco." She looked at the clock on the wall and stood. "I'm so sorry dear, but I must get back."

"It's alright, thank you Mother, for coming to see me and telling me about the curse. It means so much that you came to see me!" She gathered me in for another hug, and Dumbledore reappeared in his office.

"Is it time that you were off Narcissa?" She nodded. "I know it doesn't seem like enough time, but, at least you were able to spend a bit of time with Draco on Christmas." She nodded.

"Thank you for making this possible Dumbledore." She let go of me and walked towards the fire. "I'll see you soon Draco, I love you very much son! Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas, I love you too Mother." She took some floo powder and disappeared into the emerald flames it created. And then she was gone, leaving Dumbledore and me alone in the office. "Would you like some pastries sir? My mother brought too many for me to eat by myself." His eyes lit up.

"I wouldn't mind, I do have a fondness for sweets." I talked him through some of the treats in the basket and he selected a couple to try. Dumbledore offered me a seat and sat at his desk while he tried a bite of the deep-fried beaver tail, dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar and squeezed over with lemon. "Magnificent!" He declared after the first bite.

"Thank you sir, for arranging it so I could see my Mother," I felt humble that he would think of such a thing.

"Not a problem at all Mister Malfoy, I do appreciate how much you are sacrificing." Just then his fireplace flamed green and a head appeared, it looked like Mister Weasley. "Arthur?" He sounded surprised.

"There's been a little incident here at the Burrow, Hermione and her parents came to visit, and Hermione has collapsed, we can't wake her. Dumbledore looked to me and I sprang to my feet.

"I can help her, please sir, you have to let me go."

"Arthur, can you bring Hermione through the floo network and have Molly bring her parents through please?" His head bobbed in the fireplace and he disappeared for a moment before the fire erupted again and he passed through the fire carrying an unconscious Hermione. Dumbledore quickly transfigured a chair into a cot and had Mister Weasley placed her on it.

"Her parents said that she's been unusually sleepy, napping for a good portion of the time she was at their place." I walked around to the other side of the cot and flipped Hermione's hand over. I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing, but I lined up our attachment scars and pressed them together. A light burst from between our hands and came to wrap around them. Pink and red light surrounded our hands fully and I felt Hermione's pulse increase. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was trying to talk but I shook my head at her.

"You've collapsed Hermione, just rest for a bit." Her head nodded before she closed her eyes again. It was then that I remembered there were other people in the room. I looked up and realized for the first time that Molly Weasley and Mister and Missus Granger were also in the room. Everyone was staring at the magic surrounding our clasped hands.

"I think she'll be okay now." Headmaster Dumbledore nodded in our direction. "Why don't we go have a nice cup of tea in the kitchens?" Dumbledore suggested to the four other adults. The Granger's looked like they were about to protest.

"I ought to get back and settle the children, they're worried sick. Arthur you stay with the Granger's and have tea." Mister Weasley nodded and gently ushered her parents from the room. Molly went back through the fireplace and Dumbledore turned to me.

"Very interesting Draco, I'll give you two a little bit of time." He threw a wink in my direction before following after the three parents that had left the office. I turned my attention back to Hermione. I brought my free hand to her face and leant in, kissing her cheek softly. I dropped my head to rest next to hers and breathed in her smell. I hadn't realized just how much I had missed her until this moment. I hadn't noticed she had woken up until I felt her hand on the back of my head. I lifted my head up and looked into her eyes.

"Well I guess I got my Christmas wish after all." Her voice was a little strained and I smiled at her inappropriate humor timing.

"You didn't have to faint to make it happen Hermione."

"It seemed like an efficient way. "She shrugged grinning at me.

"Merlin, I missed you!" I leant down and kissed her softly, lingering for a moment.

"I missed you too Draco." She leant her head up and captured my lips again. I gave in for a couple of moments before pulling back.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" I whispered against her lips.

"I promise I didn't mean to." I gathered her onto my arms and transfigured the cot into a big armchair, sitting with her on my lap. She curled into my chest and took a deep breath. She held up our joined hands and shot a look of confusion at me. I shrugged.

"I took your hand after you got here pressing our attachment scars together and this happened. I have to guess it won't let up until your energy is regained." She nodded against me her eyes closing tightly for a couple of moments before reopening to look at me.

"How did I get here, where are my parents?"

"Well you were at the Burrow, Mister Weasley brought you through the Floo and Missus Weasley brought your parents through. They're down in the kitchen having tea with Dumbledore." She nodded as if that made sense. "I've got some really important things I need to talk to you about, but it'll have to wait until you're better." Her hand found my face and she kissed me soundly I tried to keep a level head, but found myself kissing her back fervently anyway. When I pulled back I was breathing heavily.

"Merry Christmas Draco," Her voice whispered out. I smiled and gave her another quick kiss.

"Merry Christmas Hermione, this tops the other presents you gave me for Christmas." She smiled and rubbed her thumb over my cheek where her hand still rested. She shook back her hair and the earrings I had gotten her glinted in the light.

"They're absolutely beautiful Draco, way over the top."

"I'm glad you like them. The book was inspired I can't wait to start on it, and thanks for the ink." She nodded. Her hand slid from my face and came to rest on my chest, just over my other attachment scar. She drew herself closer to me and sighed, finally closing her eyes and relaxing. I found myself strangely at odds with how I felt about that Christmas, but just decided to focus on the gift currently sleeping in my arms.

* * *

 **AN: Hello, hello, hello - I've written up another chapter! I was going to name this chapter The Black Family Curse, but I feel like that would've been too telling. Does it makes sense or does it make you go huh? I always write myself notes to go over in the AN and here my notes say, spicy chicken crunch wrap supreme, nachos and cheese, a baja blast, and cinnabon bites. I'm not hungry I swear. I don't really have a whole pile to say about this chapter. If anything from the letters back and forth had you wanting answers don't worry, I'll get to it! I thought Narcissa coming to visit was sweet and also a good way to complete a challenge set out for me by Lovesagoodstory19! All in all I think this was a good one.**

 **Thanks always to my reviewers since the last update! Lovesagoodstory19(Did I do it justice?), ASJS, Juliemaggie(thank you for pointing out a flaw, I'm sure there are more lol!), pinkduck2587, piratekiddo(hope you can read this chapter and the other one worked after I updated it!), and chapou69! You guys are some dedicated reviewers and it means so so much to me!**

 **You saw this coming, I know you did. See that box below, write some characters and hit submit, even if you say - Dang it now I want taco bell! - I'll still be happy because I feel your pain. Review, Fav, Follow and always thank you for reading!**

 **~WS**


	16. That's Awkward

16\. That's Awkward

By the time evening hit on Christmas day, Hermione was able to keep her eyes open for more than two minutes at a time, but our hands were still fused together. We had a chat with Dumbledore and Hermione's parents, and decided it was best if Hermione stayed until our hands could be separated. At which point we could either remain at Hogwarts for the duration of the holiday or I could travel back to muggle London with Hermione and spend the rest of the holidays at her parent's house. It made no difference to me, as long as I didn't have to get separated from Hermione again.

Dumbledore escorted Mister and Missus Granger home and allowed us to go free for the night. Hermione was a little unsteady on her feet and mostly relied on me to get her back to the Room. Once inside she looked down at our hands and then up at me worriedly. "Something wrong Hermione?"

"I have to go to the bathroom." She blushed a bit, I laughed and set down the basket with baked goods and the bag I had been carrying and pulled Hermione to the bathroom. "I can't go with you in here!"

"Well, unless you want to pee your pants I don't see what choice we have. I'll turn around and cast a muffle on my ears until you're done." She frowned but nodded. We awkwardly walked to the toilet. I turned around, cast a muffle on my ears and closed my eyes. It didn't take overly long before Hermione tugged twice on my hand letting me know she was done. I removed the muffle and opened my eyes. "You're all good?" I asked. She made an affirmative noise behind me and I turned around. She still looked embarrassed. "What's wrong?"

"I need your help to get my pants buttoned. It's too hard with only one hand." I tried to hold in my laugh knowing it would upset her and walked closer. Without too much fuss we managed to get her pants done up and walk to the sink where we both washed our free hand to get the soap to foam up. Finally we were able to sit back down on the couch in the main room. "You said you had something important to tell me?" She asked. I nodded. I handed her the parchment that had the Black Family Curse story written on it and handed it to her. She read through it quickly her brows shooting up. "You never mentioned this before."

"I didn't know before today. My mother came by to visit me and she saw the scar on my hand and she asked who I was attached to. I asked how she knew that it was attachment magic and she told me that her sister Andromeda is attached to her husband Ted Tonks; that it's a curse in our family that usually skips generations, but I guess not this time. I actually had just said goodbye to her and was chatting with Dumbledore when Mister Weasley popped up in the fireplace."

"Well I guess that answers quite a few of our questions." I nodded. "I am curious as to why the energy drain affected me more than you. You seem fine, and I was passed out." I shrugged, I hadn't thought of that.

"I probably had more sleep than you did; you were out doing things and going places with your parents. I literally slept an entire day, only waking up when your letter came, and only staying up long enough to respond and send Hedwig off again. I guess we know now that we can't be apart for so long. What do you want to do when the attachment wears off?" I asked. She shrugged.

"We can figure that out in the morning. Can you explain your trifecta theory to me?"

"I think it actually makes more sense now than before. So, we looked into three different causes of what was happening to us, right?" She agreed. "There was the curse inverting, blood bonding, and latent prophetic gifts. So what if it's not only one, but all three? So the blood bond might have skipped a generation except that I took the dark mark and didn't want to. So that kicked the blood kismet into effect, which only worked because I knew you and you must have a descendant from land central. Then in order to bring the attachment about we both started having prophetic dreams. Do you remember the passage we read about fire agate? That it awakens talents in people, and protects from bad dreams? What if it's all interconnected?"

"You could be on to something. I also find it weird that our dreams change depending on proximity. I always hate when we can't be together and the original dream starts up. I never feel like I get any rest with that dream. I don't think our work will ever be done trying to figure this out." I nodded in agreement and ran my hand over my face.

"Today has me absolutely knackered. Are you ready for bed?" She nodded. It was an interesting process trying to get changed and ready for bed, we both had to go to the bathroom again and do things like brush teeth and wash faces, it was pretty inconvenient, but half an hour later we were lying in bed, Hermione acting as the little spoon, and I as the large. I nuzzled gently into her neck and pressed three rapid kisses to her skin. "I'm glad you're back Granger." She pushed father back into me in response and hummed. "Goodnight," I whispered. She whispered it back and I dropped my head onto the pillow and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 _An odd feeling settled over the odd group of people that had gathered in the tent, it was mid-day and everyone was sitting around chatting. Harry went on to say something about the Dark Lord; he uttered the first syllable of his name. Ron started shouting no, but it was too late. Harry had said the name._

 _"There's a taboo on his name!" Ron exclaimed. Within seconds we heard apparitions and heard a voice telling us to come out with our hands up. Hermione quickly flicked her wand at Harry's face. I signalled to them to stay put and walked out of the tent._

 _"What's all this then?" I asked the snatchers surrounding me._

 _"Tell us your name mate." The one who was clearly in charge demanded. Suddenly Fenrir Greyback stepped forward._

 _"That's the Malfoy boy. He's been missing since the summer. Won't your father be pleased that I've found you?"_

 _"He probably won't care either way. I'm actually hiding out, trying to pick up clues on my Mother, she's missing too, you know?"_

 _"You got anyone in that tent with ya?" Main guy asked. I shook my head._

 _"It's just me."_

 _"I'm sure you won't mind if we check it out then?" I shrugged._

 _"A bit insulting given I'm a Malfoy. Why would I lie to you?"_

 _"We've heard things about captives of the other side switching teams. But I'm sure you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"_

 _"Of course I wouldn't. If you chaps really feel the need to search the tent, then by all means, search the tent." I had to have faith that Hermione could shield or hide them, or they could have found some solution while I stalled for time. Greyback gave me a sickening smile and entered the tent. My heartbeat sped up and I fought to keep my face composed._

I awoke with a shudder, my heart still beating frantically in my chest. Hermione sleepily opened her eyes. "What's wrong Draco?"

"I just had a bad dream," I looked to our hands still bound with magic. "Which doesn't bode well for our future," Hermione blinked a couple of times and pressed her fingers over her eyes wiping the sleep from them. She rolled to face me and ran a finger under my eye.

"What was the dream?"

"We were in a tent with Harry, Ron, and a couple other people, I can't think of whom. Harry was talking and he said the Dark Lord's name. Ron tried to stop him, but he carried on. Ron said there is a taboo on the name and suddenly the tent was surrounded by wizards. They told us to come out with our hands up. You hexed Harry's face, I told you lot to stay put and walked out. They were Death Eaters; I kept thinking the term snatchers. Greyback was there and he recognized me. I made up some excuses as to why I was there and the snatchers asked to search the tent. I didn't have a choice and I woke up just as they were entering the tent."

"Very strange, we need to write that down; maybe we can change things if we know they're going to happen." I shrugged still feeling a little panicked from the dream. "I had a dream too, mine wasn't bad though. It was New Year's Eve and we were up in the Astronomy Tower, fire-works were going off in Hogsmeade and we were dancing. Well you were dancing, and I was stumbling around because I cannot dance nothing too crazy or important there."

"Wait, you can't dance?" I asked. She grinned at me and shook her head.

"Not the kind of dancing we were doing, it was some kind of waltz or something."

"We used to have a New Year's waltz at every New Year's Eve party I've ever attended. I guess I'll be feeling sentimental on the thirty first. Your dream can be used as a test though, I'll teach you how to waltz before New Year's, and let's see if we can switch the location as well." Hermione laughed.

"You're going to teach me how to waltz?" I grinned.

"I'm a fabulous dancer Hermione, I can teach you how to waltz in hours I'm sure." I looked down at our still fused hands and sighed. "I would have thought that this would have worn off by now." Hermione shrugged.

"Maybe we'll have to see if there is any mention of this in the books we have. At least we're back together though. It's nice waking up next to you." I smiled and rolled onto my back, pulling Hermione on top of me. I ran my finger slowly across her bottom lip and watched as her eyes darkened at the movement. "Did you think about me often?" She asked lowly, her breath fanning over my finger. I drew in a sharp breath.

"I did." She leaned closer and guided her hand to thread into my hair. "And you, did you think about me too?" She nodded, her lips coming closer to mine but not touching. Her eyes flicked to mine before she closed her eyes and finally brought contact between our lips. I sighed happily at the feeling. The kiss quickly became something almost out of control. I had rolled Hermione under me and let my hand rove down over her ribcage. My brain was telling me to stop, but my body wasn't listening. I gave in for a couple more minutes groaning as I pulled away. Hermione smirked up at me and leaned up for one more quick kiss before letting me go. I rolled off to the side and drew in a couple of deep breaths. "You're going to be the death of me Granger." She laughed and sat up.

"It's the other way around. You're going to be the death of me. You're the one who always pulls back." I sighed and sat up.

"I don't think I'm ready for anymore big steps where our relationship is concerned just yet. We've already gone from enemies to dating in four months; I'd like to take some things slowly." She nodded and sent me a smirk.

"I can't help it Draco, I am glad that you seem to have sense for the both of us." I smirked back and leant forward to kiss her.

"When it's right, it'll be right." I assured her. "Plus I like pretending this bond doesn't entirely control my life - which is funny because I have to go to the bathroom, and here we are attached and it's absolutely in control of us." She laughed.

"I have to go to the bathroom too." We got up and awkwardly went about the business of getting ready for the day while fused together; once done we were sat on the couch eating the pastries my mother had brought for me. Hermione had not tried most of the treats and was happily snacking away. We turned our attention to the books we had acquired on attachment magic and set about seeing how to dispel this particular type of attachment. Mid-day Hermione seemed to have a brainwave. "Wait, you said yesterday that Andromeda and Ted Tonks are attached?" I nodded. "I know their daughter quite well. I might have even seen them from time to time, they work with the order. We could go see them!" I thought about it for a moment. I had never actually met my aunt.

"I suppose they would know more about this than we would, could be useful to learn what they know." She nodded vigorously. "It would be strange to meet her, I never have."

"Well this would be a perfect opportunity to get to know her!" I nodded less enthusiastically.

"Hermione, you might not realize this because you're all gaga over me, but I'm greasy and stinky because I haven't been showering. I don't want to meet my aunt looking like this, but I don't know how we would pull off a shower like this." She looked at me as though seeing me for the first time.

"Maybe I am gaga over you. How did I not realize?" She was talking mostly to herself at that point. "Well, we could get your hair washed and then use magic as best as we can for the rest?" I sighed. "Or I can stand awkwardly outside the shower, it's up to you. But I do think we should see Dumbledore about going to see Andromeda and Ted.

"No peeking and no making fun of my shower singing."

"I promise." She laughed. It was a bit of an awkward process, and showering one handed was a job, but I eventually emerged, towel clad from the shower distinctly less disgusting. "I didn't hear any singing." Hermione joked.

"I was too nervous, and too busy trying to figure out how to shower minus a hand." I retorted. She smiled and shook her head at me. Getting dressed was a whole other process, but soon enough we were stood outside Dumbledore's office. He magically appeared as if knowing we needed to talk to him. "Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, please come up to my office." He muttered his password and led us up to the office indicating we should sit.

"So, I guess it's no secret that Draco and I have some weird magic happening this year." Hermione started looking pointedly at our hands.

"Very weird magic indeed, I can't say I'm familiar with it." Dumbledore admitted.

"When my mother was here yesterday she indicated that her sister Andromeda had experienced something similar. Hermione tells me you are in contact with the Tonks'?"

"I am - are you wishing to speak with them?"

"We feel that they'd probably have some helpful insight into the situation." Hermione answered for us. I nodded along.

"Very well, allow me to get into contact with them. I'll be back." With that Dumbledore stood and grabbed some floo powder disappearing from the office. I looked over at Hermione and raised an eyebrow. She smiled at me.

"Are you nervous about meeting them?" She asked me. I shrugged but then looked at her and nodded.

"It's weird to think I'll meet an aunt I know next to nothing about. What if she doesn't like me?" I asked. Hermione's face softened and she leaned forward cupping my face.

"Of course she'll like you Draco. Plus the more people you meet from the Order the easier things will be for you. I'll obviously be there the whole time." She joked holding up our magically bound hand. I attempted a smile at her humor. "Don't worry so much Draco. Tonks is very nice, so I imagine her parents will be too."

"It's hard to explain Hermione. Growing up if she was mentioned at all it was derogatory, and I was brought up to hate a woman I had never met. Now I need her help. And now I realize that my perception of people is skewed because of my upbringing. It's just going to be weird to reconcile the woman in my mind to the reality, if that makes sense?" She smiled and lent forward, dropping her hand to rest on top of the fusion of our other hands.

"You've come so far this year already Draco, I know you will do just fine." I leant forward and pressed a chaste simple kiss to her lips.

"I'm glad I've got you." I whispered.

"We're lucky to have each other." She agreed. "I don't want you to worry about them not liking you; it's not going to happen. I promise." Just then the fireplace roared back to life; Hermione and I were quite intimately close, and pulled away from each other quickly. Dumbledore reappeared in his office and smiled.

"Well, Draco and Hermione, Ted and Andromeda are expecting you." He smiled and told us the location we would need to call out to get to their house via floo, and gave us the location to get back to his office as well. "I'll check up on you later tonight if you're still out there." He let us know.

"Thank you professor, this means a lot to us." I said, he made a gesture of 'it's nothing' and waved us toward the fireplace.

"Good luck!" He grinned, as we threw down the powder and called out the location. The spinning of floo travel always made me slightly nauseous, but it didn't take long before the spinning stopped and Hermione and I stepped out of a grate into a homey looking living room.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys! Sorry about the weird test post yesterday, for some reason FF was not actually showing my story as updated except in notifications and I wanted to fix it, thanks to Lovesagoodstory19 for bringing it to my attention! Has anyone else ever noticed how awkward of a work awkward is? I put it in the chapter title and I was like - that can't be how you spell it, but it is. Wacky. So if you're wondering why I would go into detail of just how awkward something like going to the bathroom would be, it was kind of to show that the bond can be really stupid sometimes, and cause them difficulties, plus it was funny? So, yeah. I couldn't help myself from writing the steamy smooch scene in here I tried really hard not to and it happened anyway. I love when Draco shows a little crack of vulnerability. I always imagine him looking like a lost little boy, especially when he says - what if they don't like me? Heart broke. Just going to let you guys know I might be very late, or not post at all on Tuesday. I'm getting my first tattoo, and shes a biggie. Soooooooo What do you think is going to happen with Medea and Ted? a good old fashioned family reunion? An awkward encounter? Perhaps a disagreement? Who knows? ;)**

 **So as always thanks to my stellar reviewers! Lovesagoodstory19(Thanks again), Juliemaggie(x4 - your reviews make me laugh gurl!), Bammerella, piratekiddo(I'm glad!), and pinkduck2587! Ya'll are lovely, and I appreciate you so much!**

 **Onto the fun part! Use that little box below to type something to me and then submit it! Even if it says - I - I - I can't write the show for the Moulin Rouge! - I'll still smile, because even though that makes no sense it was my favorite movie when I was 15. So review, fav, and follow! Thanks so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	17. Family Matters

17\. Family Matters

"You must be Draco, and Hermione!" A middle aged witch stepped into the room carrying a tea tray. She gently set it down and beckoned us into the room. She reminded me strongly of my aunt Bella, her features were similar, but her hair was brown, not black, and her eyes were missing that hint of madness that my other aunts had. I felt Hermione tug my hand a bit and look up at me and realized I was staring.

"It was so nice of you to agree to have us over Andromeda, the holidays are always a busy time, I'm sure we've put you out a bit." Hermione walked forward and offered her free hand. Andromeda smiled and took her hand.

"It's nothing dear, I remember only too well having no control over our attachment magic and how frustrating that could be." I felt like I was in an alternate reality and couldn't quite focus on the words being exchanged around me. "Are you alright Draco?" Andromeda's concerned voice hit my ears. I blinked bringing myself back to the moment.

"Sorry, I suppose this is all a little weird. It's nice to meet you." I held out my hand. She took it softly, her other hand went to my face and I fought the urge to flinch back. Her eyes searched mine and she nodded to herself.

"I'm sure that growing up you heard some things about me that painted me in a bad light, it means a lot to me to meet you, and I never thought I would. I hope that we can eventually build up a normal aunt-nephew relationship. It's pained me for years not having contact with my family. How are my sisters?" She asked finally dropping her hands from me. I didn't want to lie about how they were, but, I couldn't say they were well truthfully.

"Aunt Bella is in her element, she loves what she's doing, that doesn't say much for her, but, at least she is happy. My mother is…okay. I saw her yesterday, that's how I found out you were bonded, we are just waiting for the end of the school year, and the Order is going to take us in. I'm not sure if I was supposed to tell you that, but, you're her sister." Andromeda's eyes filled with tears that didn't quite brim over.

"I'm so proud of you both, and your father is he leaving the Death Eaters?" I shook my head no; a sympathetic look came over her face. She took in a deep breath and invited Hermione and I to sit on the sofa. "We can catch up on family another time, you two are here to get this attachment sorted out. Ted is just up in the attic looking for the notes we had from the first couple months of this happening to us."

"Do you not have problems with attachment magic anymore?" Hermione asked.

"Once you figure out the purpose of the bond, and then just give in, it gets easier. Of course there are still times like if we have a tiff or if one of us if having a bad day it still flares up." She smiled kindly and rolled up her right sleeve. Her attachment scar was massive spanning from her wrist to her elbow crook. It looked like a climbing strand of ivy. The base colour was orange, and little juts of pink and red could be seen in it.

"Have you got more than the one attachment scar?" Hermione quizzed. As ever I was glad to have her around, my brain could hardly comprehend what was happening.

"No, we've only got the one; it started out as just one leaf and then multiplied over time."

"We have two. One on our palms, which I obviously can't show, and then I've got one on my ribcage, the corresponding one is on Draco's chest." Rather than having Hermione need to lift her shirt, I pulled mine down low enough for the loop to be seen.

"A golden bond," She muttered, seemingly to herself. "I've never seen such a thing. We have four or five couples that we know who have bonds as well. We really had to search them out, but, Ted and I were curious to know how the other couples were affected by bonding. I was actually going to write a book on it, but I fell pregnant with Nymphadora, and then after she was born I spent the bulk of my time researching metamorphmagus', Nymphadora just had to be different I suppose." She smiled thinking of her daughter. We heard a scuffle and then bumping noise, and finally footsteps approaching. A big bellied, blonde haired man walked into the room with a huge smile and a little box. He set the box down and clapped us both on the shoulders before sitting next to his wife.

"It's nice to meet you Draco and Hermione! I'm Ted, you can call me Uncle Ted or Teddy if you like, I'm not picky." I couldn't help the grin that spread over my face when listening to the affable man in front of us. I recognized him instantly from my dream. He had been in the tent with us. I squeezed Hermione's hand and she looked over at me interestedly. Ted watched the interaction curiously. "Is something the matter?" He asked. I looked back at him.

"I had a dream last night, and you were in it. Hermione and I have had dreams since before the attachment magic took over, and they're…prophetic in nature."

"It was a good dream I hope!" Ted smiled over at us. I shook my head slowly.

"No, it was a tense, precarious situation. Hermione also had a dream, but a way less sinister one, it will occur on New Year's Eve, so we're planning to see if we can alter it in some way. I hope we can. It will bode better for my dream. We were in a tent, Andromeda, you weren't there, a couple other people were, and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were there…" I launched into a quick explanation of the dream, and watched as disbelieving looks crossed my aunt and uncle's faces.

"Well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it, eh?" Ted just smiled and started pouring out tea for all of us.

"The dreams must be important to your bond. We never had anything like that." Andromeda told us. "Now as for this-" She indicated the glowing lights enveloping our hands. "You two tried to spend the holiday apart, didn't you?" We nodded. "Until you are in control of the bond I don't advise more than two days at the most apart. How long was it?"

"About five days." I answered.

"That's far too long. How was your relationship before the dreams and the bonding if you don't mind my asking?" Ted interjected. We looked at each other, I smirked and Hermione smiled.

"We pretty much hated each other." Hermione laughed. "So much so that three years ago, I punched him in the face." I saw Andromeda and Ted exchange a look, trying not to laugh.

"Well a bit of a change for you this year then. Your energies are getting used to each other; once you've known each other for longer you'll be able to go longer without seeing each other. The energy part can go away altogether, Ted and I can be apart indefinitely, but it's not something we would choose to do."

"So, how do we get rid of this?" I asked holding up our joined hands.

"The bond just wants an assurance that you won't leave each other again, so figure out a way to reassure yourselves that you're sticking together. In the absence of that you'll probably be stuck for about five days." I looked over at Hermione and frowned. Five days was too long to be stuck like this. We'd have to come up with something.

"I have a question, it's pretty morbid and you might not know the answer, but, what if one person from a bonded pair dies? Draco and I have read all of the books we could find on the subject and that's not addressed in any of them." The pair across from us exchanged a glance.

"I'm afraid we don't know the answer to that either. I assume the remaining person would go back to how they were pre-attachment, because the blood fate would be broken." Andromeda answered. Hermione and I continued asking little questions, with Ted and Andromeda answering most of them easily. We drank through three more cups of tea and finally stood, bringing the box of notes with us.

"Thank you so much for taking the time to see us." Hermione smiled at the older pair.

"Of course dear, whatever we can do to help, just ask us! We know how confusing all of this can be. If you two ever need a place to stay or a reassuring cup of tea, please feel free to stop by any time. And, Draco it was so lovely meeting you, I'm so glad we've found each other, even if it is under these circumstances. Please, whenever you need me feel free to reach out. I want to make up for the time we've missed out on."

"Thank you Aunt Andromeda. I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize my family was wrong. I was really nervous to come here today, but I'm glad we did." Andromeda looked so happy she was verging on tears. She gathered both Hermione and me up for a hug.

"Come and visit us again soon!" She whispered. Ted came and shook our hands.

"It was nice meeting you two, like Medea says, don't be strangers!"

"Thank you both so much!" Hermione smiled and we all said our good-byes before we stepped back into the fire. Dumbledore looked up from something he was reading as we stumbled back into his office.

"Ah, how was the day?" He asked with a kind smile.

"It was good, we learnt a lot." Hermione answered.

"Draco, I'm glad you're making some family connections the Tonks' are wonderful people to know." I nodded in response to Dumbledore's praise of my aunt and uncle.

"Thank you for arranging the meeting Headmaster, it was very helpful." He smiled and nodded.

"It was the least I could do after you introduced me to those Canadian sweets, I'm afraid I boasted to the house elves about them, and they're working overtime to learn how to make them." He looked a little guilty, but then smiled. "Looks like you two have a bit of reading to do." He looked at the box of notes in our hands we nodded, and thanked him again before making our way out of his office.

"This has been another crazy day in this crazy year." I sighed as we hit the seventh floor corridor. Hermione looked over at me and smiled.

"See Draco, there was nothing to worry about, they were very nice." I nodded. We gained access to the Room and I set the notes down carefully. We sat on the couch and I pulled Hermione into my side.

"So which one of us is unsure that the other will stick around, or is it both of us?" I asked. Hermione looked up at me.

"I was the one that did the leaving, and I don't feel nervous that you would want to leave me." I took a deep breath in and looked away from her.

"I swear I know you didn't want to leave me alone, but on a level, I'm scared." Hermione shifted so she could look at me more fully. Her hand clasped a little more tightly around mine, and her eyes sought mine.

"What are you scared of?" She asked.

"I'm scared that I ruined your life. Like in another world you would be happily with Ron and you wouldn't need to worry about leaving me behind or dealing with the danger I bring to your life. You would be your own person and not just bound to me by this insane magic." She shook her head and brought her hand to my face waiting until I looked up at her to drop it.

"This insane magic is the best thing that ever happened to me. I learnt about this great guy that I would otherwise have written off. This year would have been agony for you, and I know you, you would have suffered in silence. I don't belong with Ron, I'll always love him as a friend, but, we're just too different to make sense together. You made me realize that. Spending time with someone who could actually keep up with me, and valued me for more than helping him complete homework assignments, it's everything I needed Draco. Don't sell yourself short. And as for the danger, my best friend is a danger magnet with a propensity for impulsivity; it was already a huge part of my life. You've come to be someone that I admire and trust more than anyone else. Please don't feel otherwise!" I blinked my eyes twice after listening to what the witch in front of me had to say.

"Do you really mean all that, or are you just saying it because I'm being mopey?" She smiled at leant forward pressing her lips to mine gently.

"I meant all of it Draco, you know I did. It seems like stating the obvious and like I've been delaying the inevitable, but, I've fallen in love with you Draco completely stupid you're all I think about, butterflies in my stomach love. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth and be directed at you, but, there you have it." I looked at her dumbstruck for a moment before realizing I should say something back to all these declarations. I drew in a deep breath.

"I can't be mad at my great grandfather Serpens for creating the curse that got us into this. I never would have realized just how special you really are. I've known for years now that you're beautiful externally but it took a bit of magic to find out that it's not just superficial. The way you handle all of these big life altering changes is admirable to say the least. Your courage and steadfastness keeps me going most days. I'm so grateful to you, more than you can ever know, for being the way you are. I won't delay it any longer either, you know I hate letting the bond control me, but I mean this with everything that I am. I love you too, Hermione Granger." She blinked a few tears out of her eyes, and I used my thumb to brush them aside. I slowly drew nearer to her and closed my eyes, catching her up in a breath-taking, dazzling kiss. I could swear the air around us sparked with magic, and I felt the bond on our hands break. I smiled against her lips and pulled her closer to me with my now free hand. I pulled her across me, so she was straddling my legs and deepened the kiss. _Too much too fast!_ My brain hissed. I tried valiantly to ignore the thought, but I was right. I slid my hands up Hermione's side to rest on her ribcage and gently eased her back. I took her hands in mine and pressed a kiss to each of her palms before kissing her once more softly, but chastely. She took in a deep breath and smiled at me.

"We have two hands again!" She flipped her hands over marvelling at them. The mark was slightly glowing but that was the only difference I could see.

"Thank Merlin!" I inspected my own hands and noted the same, that it was glowing but otherwise unchanged.

"Are you happy?" She asked, she sounded a trifle uncertain. I smiled and leant forward kissing her neck softly.

"Of course I'm happy, aren't you?" She ran her finger though my hair and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"I'm more than happy. Plus, we've detached at a perfect time, because I have to go to the bathroom, and I can finally do it without wanting to die from embarrassment." I grinned and leant forward kissing her again.

"That was pretty horrible." I agreed. She drew in close pressing her body against mine in a hug before drawing back and getting up to use the washroom. I sat in a dazed stupor going over what had just happened. I loved Hermione Granger and she loved me back. What a strange and magical thought. I couldn't help but wonder what was holding me back from letting anything more progress physically. I knew I wanted her, I could still feel a certain appendage that was testament to that. Luckily it could tell nothing more would happen and was returning to a natural state. I might have to borrow some of Hermione's bravery and actually talk to her about what I was thinking in that department. The witch in question returned and sat next to me. I turned to look at her and smiled.

"You looked pretty deep in though there. Do I want to know?" She asked with a laugh. I smirked.

"I'm glad my vacant thought face looks intelligent." I joked, putting off the conversation because I was a coward. "I think I also might enjoy going to the bathroom alone." I laughed and pushed up from the couch to go to the bathroom. I could not figure out why my head was such a mess over saying 'I love you.' I had never said it in the romantic sense before and maybe that was the difference. I shrugged at my reflection in the mirror as I washed my hands. All I knew was at the moment I was feeling equal parts elated and confused.

* * *

 **AN: So, the sap in this chapter is - well sappy, but, I'm not mad at it. I think that Draco despite his outward appearances of being self assured and pompous is actually pretty vulnerable and that's what I wanted to convey here. Hopefully ya'll aren't sick with a sugar hangover from the lovey dovey ending here. Besides that I like this chapter a lot. I know like two or three chapters ago I was like yeah, I'll probably speed it up, and I've just spent three entire chapters just on Christmas break, but, the fingers type what they want, I am in no way in control. I'm wondering if I wrote a one shot where Hermione interviews Andromeda about her attachment experience, like how it happened and how she and Ted fell in love would interest anyone? Cause I think it would be fun to write. Lemme know! I'm also curious about how I should go about the more intimate scenes that are likely upcoming. Do you prefer a more ambiguous description or do you want all the details? I could write it either way...Oh and one more thing, for some reason when I post these longer chapters FF is like nope, you didn't update, so I'll be updating twice in a row to make it go through until the problem is sorted out, sorry if that's annoying!  
**

 **Thanks as always to my wonderful reviewers! Lovesagoodstory19, Juliemaggie, and pinkduck2587! You all get gold stars from me!**

 **And finally, see that box, that one right below this note? Just go ahead and type some stuff and hit submit. Even if its - You owe me 600 dollars so I can pay my dentist because now I've got multiple cavities from your sappy writing! - I'll still smile and never give you 600 dollars! Lol! So Review, Fav, and Follow! Thanks so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	18. New Year's Eve

18\. New Year's Eve

"One two three, four five six," I counted out the beat to the music so Hermione would pick up on it. I had a classic waltz playing in three four time. I was showing her the steps in relation to the beat. She was looking at me like I was speaking Latin. "Honestly Granger, it's not that hard. It's just two sets of three steps." She was doing alright when I stood next to her showing the steps she would take, but as soon as I went into a dance hold and tried to lead, she got the steps flubbed.

"I'm sorry Draco, I'm trying." I looked over and laughed at the look of sheer concentration on her face.

"I think you just need to loosen up a bit. It's not life or death Hermione, it's a dance. And it's just you and me, no one else watching. Let's try again." I held onto her hand and stood next to her, I prepared standing firmly on my left leg and pointing out the toe of my right. She copied the stance. "Now listen to the rhythm in the music. I listened myself catching the beat, now – one two three, four five six," I counted the first six to prepare her and we did the sequence on the following six steps. She had one small stumble, but continued into the next six beats seamlessly. "There you go, you've got it!" I grinned and we kept creating the same square over and over. Without giving her time to think I span into a hold and changed to my footing. Suddenly we were waltzing. Hermione looked up at me in shock smiling.

"I did it!" She exclaimed - I smiled at her excitement.

"You did it!" We laughed and kept dancing. I took a step and span her out, and then back in, dipping her as she span back in. She shrieked at the unexpected moment and then laughed when she realized I wouldn't drop her. "Now that you've caught on that's all there is to it."

"I still think it's so funny that you know how to ballroom dance." Hermione remarked.

"All proper pure-blooded boys are taught how to lead in the most common ballroom dances. How else would families decide how to pre-arrange marriages?" I asked feigning shock at her question. She laughed.

"It's used as a measure for marriages?" She asked. I nodded.

"Every big event, from birthday's to Christmas' have a dance portion involved. The boys are told which girls they should ask to dance and we politely approach the witch in question." I let go of her and then walked up to her more properly, holding out a hand pompously. "Would you honour me with this dance Miss Granger?" I made my voice slightly more toplofty and gave a slight bow. She laughed but nodded taking my proffered hand. "Now, normally the ladies would say 'certainly I'll dance with you' and curtsey as they took my hand, but I'll let it slide as you're just learning. Then I would lead my partner onto the floor. "I walked her forward a bit. "Our parents would be watching shrewdly from the sidelines, and the music would start, depending on the dance the first round of beats is counted off in everyone's heads and then in sync every couple would start to dance. Parents would look for slip ups or lack of eye contact or too much eye contact. All the normal things a parent would pay attention to while watching their child dance." I had started us waltzing as I talked her through how it normally went. She hadn't even noticed.

"Are you being serious Draco?"

"Deadly. So if you fumble the steps or anything like that, the pairing is probably unsuitable. If the posture is correct, the dance is flawless and you look like you may be having a good time dancing together, the parents start talking engagements. Now, I don't want to brag, but, I've racked up quite a few potential engagements that way." The song slowed, and I span Hermione into a slow dance, pulling her closer to me.

"That seems ridiculous." She sounded outraged.

"It is pretty ridiculous." I agreed. "Being a pure blood is sometimes, well often, very tiresome. There are all these old traditions and rituals you must abide by to keep your parents happy. If you try to push too hard against them you most likely will get cut off from your inheritance." Hermione frowned.

"That sounds awful. I always imagined that you were living on easy street up in your mansion." I shrugged.

"I was, I was the perfect heir. My parents had the pick of who I should marry and we were all very smug and happy. But then the Dark Lord came back, and things kind of fell apart. He can sniff out weakness, and my Father is weak. He used that against us. He must have figured I was my Father's son and would easily fall in line."

"You didn't though." I nodded. She laid her head on my chest and slowly we stopped dancing. I brought my arms tightly around Hermione and just held her to me. "How are you feeling about tomorrow?" asked after a rather long lapse in conversation or movement. The day before was the twenty-sixth and we had gone to visit Andromeda and Tonks, presently we were working on dancing and had talked to Dumbledore, the next day we were headed to muggle London for the remainder of the holiday.

"I'm a little nervous." I admitted. "I've never had to meet a girlfriends parent's before. Usually they've known me since birth." She lifted her head from my chest smiling at me.

"You'll be fine; my parents usually give the thumbs up to any guy who saves my life." I laughed and lowered my forehead onto hers.

"What about when they find out that I'm actually a complete prat?" I asked.

"Oh, I forgot about that…" She laughed. "I reckon they'll look past it."

"You're not supposed to agree to the fact that I'm a prat Hermione." I felt a smirk pulling at my mouth.

"Well…if the shoe fits." She laughed. I tried to act offended.

"You who claim to love me." I feigned outrage. I heard the music switch back to a waltz and Hermione squealed as I span her without warning, and we kept practicing.

* * *

My palms were sweating and I nervously wiped them on my pants as Hermione and I walked from where Snape had apparated us. He had met us in Dumbledore's office, we'd taken the floo network to his house, and he apparated us close to Hermione's parents place, giving us a stern warning about safety and a time that he would pick us up. Hermione quickly grabbed my hand up in hers; she shot me a smile as she pulled me up the front walk of a house. "Everything is going to be fine Draco, I promise! My parents are probably at work anyway." She pulled a key from the bag she carried and let us into the house. "Mom? Dad?" She called. There was no answer. "I'll show you around and then we can find something to do." The house was pretty modest, a living room, dining and kitchen area, a bathroom, and Hermione's bedroom made up the first floor, and her parent's room and another bathroom made up the second floor. "So what do you feel like doing?" She asked once the tour had been given. I shrugged; I had never been in a muggle dwelling before.

"I don't actually know what most of this stuff does." I indicated all of the weird things sitting around the house. Hermione smiled.

"I forgot that you wouldn't know this. I'll show you the telly, one of the best things muggles have ever invented." She took my hand and sat us on the couch picking up a weird piece of plastic and pointing it at a contraption that kind of looked like a shadow box. The center sprang to life with moving pictures and I leant forward intrigued.

"What in the name of Merlin is this?" I asked. Hermione spent a great deal of time explaining to me how the television worked and I marvelled at the ingenuity of the muggles. She showed me how light switches worked, and explained electricity. My mind was boggled. I was excited by all the new information she was telling me that I forgot to be nervous about her parents coming home, which they did around six pm. Hermione quickly got to her feet upon her parents arrival home.

"Hello sweetheart," Her mother smiled, putting her coat on the hook and sliding out of her shoes. "Hello Draco, welcome to our home!" I had briefly been introduced and talked to Hermione's parents on Christmas day.

"Thank you for having me Mister and Missus Granger." I smiled and Hermione's father stepped forward, first hugging Hermione and then shaking my hand. Hermione's mother repeated the process and then looked at us happily.

"We're so happy you could join us for the rest of the holidays, it must have been quite lonely for you staying up at school." Her mother commented. I nodded.

"There wasn't too much to do without any other students around, gave me time to get a head start on next terms assignments."

"Hermione mentioned that you were quite academic, what are your plans after you graduate?" Mister Granger asked.

"My family owns several businesses, as heir to the family I am expected to take up the leadership role. I'm not sure if that's what I really want to do, or even if I will be able to, I'm sort of on the outs with my family at the moment." Hermione had told me that she kept her parents sheltered from the goings on in the wizarding world, and I didn't want to divulge too much. "I do enjoy potions quite a bit; I might be interested in studying that further." Both of her parents nodded and thankfully did not question me about my parents. We briefly chatted back and forth getting to know each other a bit.

"Well you two children must be hungry; do you want to do takeout?" Hermione's mother asked eventually. Hermione nodded.

"Sure, that sounds good, what are you in the mood for?" She asked her parents, they debated between pizza, or curry. Everyone eventually agreed to pizza, and her father picked up a plastic device, pressed some buttons on it and then held it to his ear. Eventually he started talking into the contraption, repeating the order that we had agreed upon. I watched the whole exchange fascinated. I looked over at Hermione who was smiling at me. "I'll explain that one later." She promised. Somehow the device had worked like magic and within forty five minutes pizza was delivered to the front door by a bored looking teenager. I was fascinated. The pizza was pretty good, and after that we all sat down to watch the television for a bit, chatting mostly during commercial breaks. And before I knew it bed time was upon us.

"Hermione's father and I are up early for work every day, since it's the holidays we're sure you two will want to sleep in. We were going to set you up on the couch, but all of the clattering in the morning would wake you up for sure, so we purchased a blow up mattress that you can set up in Hermione's room. We don't mind you staying in there as long as you two promise to behave." The warning went out to the both of us and we both nodded in consent. Soon everything was set up, and Hermione and I were tucked up in our separate beds for the night.

"We'll need to manage some sort of physical contact during the day if we have to sleep separately." I yawned. I saw Hermione nod.

"That's easy enough every day except Sunday; my parents don't work on Sundays. I'm surprised they're letting you sleep in here on a Saturday night." She commented. "Although they will probably be up early anyhow," She mimicked my yawn and turned on her side facing me. "Thank you for coming home with me. I don't know why, but I get this feeling like I won't be able to spend the holidays with my parents for a while after this year." The words hung ominously in the air. I slid noiselessly from my bed and took the step and a half to Hermione's bed. I gently took her hand and leant down kissing her softly.

"I know the future is uncertain, but I have faith you'll be with them for the holidays again." I whispered. Her hand reached up to cup my cheek and she gazed into my eyes for a moment before leaning up to kiss me.

"I hope you're right Draco." I squeezed her hand gently before heading back to my bed and crawling under the covers.

* * *

The days were quickly flying by at Hermione's place, I was learning new and interesting things about muggles every day, and I thought that if members from the Death Eaters were placed into a muggle house with no instruction on how things worked and no access to magic they might have a bit more respect for how they lived. 'Maybe something to keep in mind for punishments after the war' I thought darkly to myself. Soon enough it was New Year's Eve, Hermione's parents were hosting a party for their practice at a restaurant not far from the house, which left us to our own devices. Hermione had ordered us in some food, and we spent a good portion of the night cuddled together. At five minutes to midnight I pulled Hermione up and turned on some music. She smiled as I walked over to her with my hand out to her. "Excuse Miss Granger, may I please have this dance?" She dipped into a spastic curtsey and bobbed her head yes as she took my offered hand.

"Of course you may." I grinned and easily span her into a waltz hold. She easily fell into step with me and smiled up at me.

"You really did teach me how to waltz."

"I guess this bodes well for our prophetic dreams. Perhaps the future is entirely changeable." We danced and kept dancing until the program on the TV started yelling out the countdown, I timed it perfectly so that on the stroke of midnight I dipped Hermione and delivered her one hell of a kiss. "Happy New Year!" I breathed against her lips as we drew apart.

"Happy New Year!" She smiled as I pulled us out of the dip. She instantly wound her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was almost desperate in nature, but I wasn't complaining. Hermione finally drew back and smirked at me, trailing her hand down my chest. "This past year has been absolutely crazy. Last New Year's I never would have guessed that I'd be here with you." I gently pressed my lips to hers.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted this. It's ridiculous how happy I am about it though. I love you." I whispered the last bit and Hermione smiled.

"I love you too!" Another searing kiss had my heart beat accelerating and my breath becoming uneven. Hermione pulled back. "I don't know when my parents will be home, we'll need to cool down before then." I nodded, shaking the kiss induced fog from my brain. Hermione pulled me over to the couch and we chastely sat next to each other only holding hands as we watched a movie. We made it half way through the feature before Hermione's parents reappeared in the house. Pleasantries were exchanged and we sat talking for a while before Hermione's mother declared she was asleep where she sat and the pair headed off to bed. We listened as the sounds of Hermione's parents faded off into nothing, indicating they were asleep. Hermione turned to me with a wicked grin on her face and pushed herself into my arms, attaching her mouth quickly to mine. I wasn't too sure what had gotten into her, she had been very careful over the past few days at her parents' house, regardless of if they were home or sleeping. She never went much further than a slight make-out, and here she was positively pawing at me. I happily gave into it, wondering where she was taking this.

I soon was divest of my shirt and Hermione was running her hands all over my exposed flesh, she went to reach for the button on my pants and I stilled her hands with mine. Still kissing her I took her hands in mine and brought them to our sides before slowing this kiss and drawing back to raise an eyebrow at Hermione. "What's gotten into you Granger?" I whispered when I could breathe again. She frowned and shook her hands loose from mine, running her hands over my chest again. She wouldn't look me in the eyes. I stilled her hand with mine and brought my finger under her chin, waiting until she looked at me. "Hermione talk to me please." She sighed and shook her head.

"It's stupid."

"It probably isn't, please." I implored her.

"I feel like…sometimes I feel like you don't want me. Not like that and it sucks, because I do want you." I smiled leant forward kissing her swiftly and softly.

"Of course I want you Hermione. I would have thought that was very evident every time we make-out." She blushed a bit and looked away from me. "Listen love, I'd be an idiot if I didn't want you, but, we're in your parent's house, they're sleeping right above us. It's not the time." She sighed.

"Well, okay, that's fair enough, but we've had plenty of time alone before, and you always pull back." I sighed and reached past Granger pulling my shirt on. "I never make a fuss about it or try to make you keep going or ask why, but, it's making me feel a little rejected." I frowned and gently brought my hand to the side of her neck.

"We've talked about this though. We've only been on even semi-friendly terms for three months. I don't want to rush something and fuck everything up. You mean more to me than that. And I hate feeling like our lives are completely out of our control; like we have to do this because the bond wants it."

"I want it." She whispered. I dropped my head onto her shoulder and fought a sigh.

"You make any willpower I have near impossible to hold onto." I groaned. "If you want to - genuinely want to, not just because the bond is making you hot for me, then we will, just not with your parents in hearing distance." I amended.

"Well you sure know how to make a girl feel special." She snarled before pushing off the couch and going to the bathroom. The door locked with a metallic click, and I swore under my breath. What had I said wrong?

* * *

 **AN:Sorry for the delay on this chapter ya'll! I got tattooed on Tuesday and it's the best thing I've ever done, but man oh man did it mess with my body. I was just a sleepy blob all day, and same with yesterday, I wrote a bit yesterday intending to get the chapter out but my brain was like, no, just nap. So I did. Sorry! I'm still not sure what is going on with FF not updating my stories, so bear with me. Now onto the actual note. I do have a long history with dance I was in it from ages 6-26, albeit it was not ballroom dancing, so if I've got a ballroom specialist reading this, I tried my best with terms. I was kind of taken with the idea of Draco finally being in a muggle house and going a little Arthur Weasley over their tech. Upon research into Hermione's parents I found out that they were never named in the series, and JK when asked about it was kinda like, well they weren't magical I didn't want them to take up too much of the story...so I contemplated giving them names, but, I thought it was a little more ridiculous to have them skirt around it, and if you guys know anything about me now, it is that I am kind of ridiculous. I really really waffled over the sleeping arrangements, I'm sure parents would not be like heck yeah shack up with your BF, but, I thought this was semi-reasonable, probably not, but whatevs. Looks like Draco done a bit of a screw up here, do you think Hermione is being a bit sensitive or is she justified? Lemme know!**

 **As ever I will thank my superb reviewers! Juliemaggie(I had planned on making Hermione a little feistier, but you gave me a push ty!), CancerScorpio15, and pinkduck2587(duly noted :P)**

 **You saw this coming like a speed demon in the rear view mirror. That box below was made specifically for you to type in a thought on the chapter - even if you say - New Year, New Me! - I'll smile at the cliche and reference to the timing of the chapter. So review, fav, and follow! Thanks for reading!**

 **~WS**


	19. A Quarter Moon

**AN: There is a touch of citrus going on in the chapter, you're forewarned!**

* * *

19\. A Quarter Moon

I groaned and rubbed my hands over my face before getting up and heading to Hermione's room. I got changed and waited for her to come out of the bathroom so I could get ready for bed. It took twenty minutes, but she finally banged open the bathroom door and came huffing into the room. I rolled my eyes and inched past her going to the bathroom and readying myself for bed. When I came back into the room she was sitting on the edge of her bed. Her feet dangling down, her shoulders hunched. I wanted to go and comfort her, but I really didn't at the same time. I felt that her blowing up at me was a little unwarranted, and when we disagreed or were extra emotional an attachment usually formed. I did not want to deal with that around her parent's. I rolled onto my bed and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. I heard Hermione mutter something to herself and flop back. "What was that?" I asked her.

"Nothing Draco, I wouldn't want you to feel put out by my feelings." I fought back the growl that wanted to come forth. I was unused to being mean to Hermione now, but she was pushing my buttons.

"You know Hermione, this is the first time you brought how you were feeling to my attention, and I'm not a fucking mind reader." I tried to reign in the anger, knowing it wouldn't help but was annoyed all the same.

"It's not exactly an easy thing to talk about Draco it's humiliating. I know this wasn't the right time; obviously getting anywhere close to sex is way awkward with my parents in the house. I don't really know what I was thinking. You just seem so in control, it bothers me."

"Hermione, I can't know what makes you insecure. Plus I agreed to what you wanted, so what is the issue?"

"It was the way you agreed." She sighed. "Like a chore that had to be done and out of the way, groaning about it and being all 'well if you want to.'" She tried an unimpressive imitation of me. I smacked my hands over my face and resisted the urge to shake the infuriating girl.

"I groaned after indicating that I'm running out of self-control, which if anything is a compliment. And I didn't at any point say only because you want to. I had just said minutes prior that I wanted you, and you know I do, it should be evident physically if nothing else." Hermione was silent.

"You seem so much more resentful of the bond than I am. It makes me feel…a bit uneven. It makes me feel unwanted." I took in a deep breath and begged myself to be patient.

"I'm not upset that I'm bonded to you. I'm upset that it happened in the first place, the one thing I don't regret is that it was you. We've talked about this. I love you Hermione I meant that when I said it but this still messes with how we regard each other. Is it so bad that I want control over something in my life? My family and future is being controlled by Dumbledore, our bodies are being controlled by this blood curse, and to an extent our minds too. I feel like I'm just an insubstantial feather blowing in the wind, just seeing where the breeze will take me, having zero say in where I land. You're going to get mad at me for wanting just one ounce of say in my life? Sorry that you're hurt by it, but, I've said eight million times before that I didn't want to rush it. I thought you would accept that but apparently I was wrong." Again silence from her side of the room, and not just for a couple of minutes. A quarter of an hour passed before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry." Was all she said. I rolled onto my side and looked at her. She was still flopped back on her bed. I waited for something else, but she said nothing more, and didn't move. I eventually heard the uneven hitching breath of a crying Hermione. I got to my feet, and walked over to her. Tears were leaking down the side of her face and into her hair I sat next to her and pulled her head onto my lap.

"Why are you crying Hermione?" I felt her shrug. "Don't give me that, what's the matter?" She sat up and grabbed a tissue from her bedside table and then turned to look at me.

"I didn't mean to start this whole big fight; I don't even really know what came over me. You probably think I'm such an idiot." She buried her face into her hands and I blinked twice trying to keep up with the mood swings. "Of course you're feeling no control over your life. How did I not see this? There I am just throwing myself at you in desperation. I'd be mad at me too. I'm just sorry, and so embarrassed." The myriad of phrases and the tumble of emotions were making my head spin. I cautiously put my arm out and drew her to me. She sagged against my chest and I patted a hand over her back.

"I'm not mad Hermione, the outburst just threw me. I didn't know you were feeling that way. Even though it's embarrassing can you just talk to me about it next time? This whole fight was wholly unnecessary." I stated.

"I know, I'm sorry," She repeated.

"I know you're sorry you've said it three times now. I'm sorry too Hermione. This doesn't have to be a big deal if we don't let it." I felt her nod against me. She looked up at me and I gave her a small smile. I leant forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Are we good now?" She nodded and leant in placing her lips delicately to my neck, before resting her head on my shoulder. Soon enough I felt myself falling asleep and fell onto my side, bringing Hermione with me, and into a cuddle.

* * *

The rest of the holiday blurred past and it was late in the evening on the third of January. The students would all be taking the Hogwarts express back to Hogwarts the next day, but Hermione and I were headed down a sketchy alleyway to meet up with Snape. He was already waiting for us and we apparated to his house and flooed back into Dumbledore's office. We had a brief chat about the holidays and then were turned out to wander the school. We roamed aimlessly and somehow ended up in the practice room where everything had started. I walked into the room and sat on a desk pulling Hermione to stand in between my legs. We were looking out the window at the snow sheeting down from the sky. We hadn't really talked about our fight on New Year's Eve again, but everything seemed like it was back to normal. She turned and planted her hands on my upper things and looked up at me. I raised an eyebrow. "What's up Granger?"

"Sometimes I just like looking at you." She shrugged. A smirk stole over my features and I brought my hands to her waist. I had been thinking everything over and though I wasn't quite ready to give in to Hermione's demands, pushing the boundaries couldn't hurt.

"I am very attractive." I conceded. She laughed and rose onto the toes of her feet pressing her lips against mine. It started out slow and light, but shifted into something intense and clawing. I couldn't quite pinpoint when the kiss turned from sweet to hungry, but it had. I inched forward off the table and walked us backwards until I had Hermione pinned against the wall. I heard her breath catch as I pushed my body flush with hers. Keeping one hand propped against the wall my other started roaming her body; skimming the side of her breast, exploring the curve of her waist and swell of her hip. My fingers toyed with the top of her leggings and I opened my eyes pulling back to catch my breath and look down at Hermione. Her eyes were blazing like molten pools of honey edging the heat between us up even further. My finger slid into the elastic band about her waist, and I leaned in again kissing her heatedly. My hand slid further in, and I realized with some delight that she was not wearing any underwear. I found Hermione scorching and ready under my hand. I moaned at the feeling deep in my throat. Playing my hand in a delicate dance she soon lost attention for the kiss and I pulled back slightly to watch her face. Her bottom lip was trapped between her teeth and her breathing was becoming erratic. I attached my mouth the sensitive skin on her neck and added intensity instantly drawing a deep hum from Hermione. I worked my fingers a little faster until she crested the wave she was riding. I gently withdrew both my hands and my lips as she came down from the climax.

"Now where did you learn to do that?" She asked breathlessly. I smiled and nipped at her neck eliciting a squeal from her.

"A gentleman never tells, but that's not all I can do." I winked and once more attached my lips to hers.

* * *

I had subjected myself to a whole new level of torture; while I had not had sex with Hermione we were definitely more familiar with each other's bodies now. Hermione was pretty much insatiable, and I didn't mind in the slightest. Our alone time now was a brutal mixture of release and restraint. I couldn't fathom the reason I was putting it off, I knew I wanted it, but I could never get myself to go through the motions. Hermione was happier now that there was at least a precursor to sex happening on a regular basis but I was growing more and more frustrated with myself. One night in early February it must have shown as Hermione reached over and gently rubbed her thumb over the furrows on my forehead. "What's going on in that brain Draco?" She asked. We were sitting in the Room studying and she was across the couch from me. I sighed and put down the book I had been reading and pulled Hermione over to me, bringing her into my side and putting an arm around her.

"Are you happy I asked her?" She looked up at me a little puzzled.

"Of course I'm happy. Are you?" I looked at her and blinked twice. "I'm making myself unhappy I think." I admitted. I sighed and played with the ends of her hair. "You have no idea how badly I want to go through with it and just have sex with you. But, I can't." She raised an eyebrow. "Every time we're fooling around I think this is the time just go for it, and my body just doesn't listen." She laid her head back on my shoulder and was silent for a moment.

"Maybe you're just putting too much pressure on yourself, or maybe it's the bond. I've been having similar feelings. Where I want you to do it, or I want to take things further, but I end up doing something else instead. It could be it's not the right time."

"Valentine's Day is this Friday; I've got something special planned – I want to try it that night, if you're okay with that?"

"Yeah, I'm more than okay with that. There are special magical rituals that can only be done on Valentine's Day, did you know that?" She asked. I nodded. I had read up on it when I was doing a project for History of Magic the year before. That was when a realization hit me.

"Merlin Hermione, I am so thick! I read about this way back when we first started looking into bond magic." I leant forward digging through the stacks of books that we had on the table. I found the one I was looking for and started flicking through it. "I had ignored it at first because I was insistent that our relationship would be platonic. There's a passage in here on bond limitations. It's very specific and very odd." I kept flicking until I found the passage I was seeking. "Bonded pairs who are romantic in nature will be unable to solidify a physical relationship until a week before the full moon in even numbered months. While this has been mocked as rumor our extensive research has shown it to be inexplicably true." I looked at Hermione and she looked supremely puzzled. "The even numbered month aspect is where people try to dispute this. But, if we failed to complete a physical bonding last month then it could be true. And if we look at the moon phases then-" I leant forward and picked up a moon chart from my recently discarded Astronomy homework. "Then a week before the full moon is Friday, Valentine's Day of all the days."

"I just can't believe how specific that is, and how people even thought to research that aspect of a bond." I shrugged, but felt happier than I had in a couple weeks, thinking that this might not be entirely my fault. She was quiet for a minute. "What is it like?" She asked. I looked down at her and thought for a minute how to respond, knowing instantly what she was asking.

"It's completely satisfying. What we've been doing is exhilarating and feels good, but it's not quite like the real thing. I don't really know how it is for girls; not being one myself, but it's amazing in my opinion."

"Do you think it will hurt?" She practically whispered it and I shrugged.

"Maybe a bit uncomfortable, but, I don't know love. I haven't received any complaints in the past." She nodded.

"Now that we're actually thinking of doing this I feel oddly nervous."

"It's still five days off, and if you're in any way uncomfortable with it we can just wait till April." She shook her head.

"You'll have driven me mad by then. Does it ever go away, wanting each other? I sometimes feel like I could do nothing else all day and be completely happy." I felt a smile pull at my mouth.

"It doesn't go away, it just, becomes more normal, to the point where it isn't all that you think about, I guess. But I've never had sex with someone that I actually love, that'll make it something new for both of us." I sighed and pulled Hermione a little closer to me. "You know, they say that practice makes perfect." She laughed and ran her hand over my chest.

"I have heard that somewhere before."

* * *

It was the thirteenth of February and Hermione was freaking out a little too hard for the next day, so much so that we had gotten attached right before bed. We had been kissing when suddenly our hands, which I had luckily just moved my hand from her breast to her hand, fused. She apologized profusely and I raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you know this is your fault?" She shot me a look and simply stated.

"I know. I can't explain my nerves but I'm terrified for tomorrow." I nodded and took in a couple deep breaths trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Well, what can I do to make you feel better? We cannot go to classes or even out of this room tomorrow if we can't break the attachment." She frowned.

"I don't know Draco; I don't know what to do. If we can't get unstuck we might have to wait for class to start and then go see Madame Pomfrey to get her to excuse us for the day." Madame Pomfrey was unfortunately informed of our condition as twice within the last month we had gotten attached with no way to break it.

"Let's try to break it ourselves first, maybe we'll have some luck and if not sometimes it goes away while we sleep, right?" She nodded, and for the next two hours we tried everything we could think of to break the attachment. Nothing seemed to work and so we gave up, eventually falling asleep. I started dreaming…

 _It was dark in the room, the fire the only light available casting a warm glow and I was hovering over Hermione. The soft flickering noise from the fire licking over the wood was the only noise in the room, apart from Hermione and me breathing. I doubted that I would ever get used to the feeling of her, ready and willing below me. Though time had not always been kind to us, we weathered through everything together. My eyes tracking over her body did something fierce to me and a snarl emitted from my mouth before I leant down and captured her in a kiss. I felt her smile against my lips and dig her fingernails into my back. Every so often she was rough, marking me and digging in too hard, but I loved it. She was equal parts soft and hard, demanding and giving, and one hundred percent mine. The hunger I always felt for her was pushing to the forefront of my mind, sometimes I wondered if she had turned me crazy for her, and decided she probably had. I pulled back from the kiss and ran a hand reverently down the side of her face. My eyes wandered from her face, no longer the picture of innocence it used to be and down her war scarred body and came to rest on her stomach, which protruded the tiniest bit. A growl built up again, the possessiveness I felt was not entirely out of character, but stronger than it had ever been for the witch beneath me, after all, she was carrying my child._

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 **AN: Sorry I'm like an hour later than usual with this today, this chapter did not want to be written. But here it is anyway. Guys! We are nine reviews away from 100 on this story! I am so incredibly thankful to you guys for that! I don't have a whole pile to say on this chapter, in all honesty I don't love this chapter, it's kind of erratic, blame the two bottles of wine I drank last night, okay?**

 **I'll take this opportunity to thank my wonderful, beautiful reviewers! Lovesagoodstory19, Guest, pinkduck2587, Juliemaggie(You never fail to make me chuckle), and Acupples(don't cry!)! You all are amazing and I'm very fond of you ;)**

 **You know by now that I'm going to say this. Type in the that box below and hit submit. Even if it's just - Draco needs to take some Viagra - I'll laugh really hard cause, yeah, sounds like it! lol! Review, fav, and follow my beauties! Thanks for Reading!**

 **~WS**


	20. Treasure

**AN: I might think this was obvious from the last chapter, but, jalapeno lemonade this chapter. Very citrus-y, here's your warning**

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20\. Treasure

My eyes blinked open and I gently rubbed the sleep from my eyes with my free hand. I looked down to where Hermione and I were, unfortunately still attached and groaned. The sound roused Hermione who blinked her eyes open and made a sound of displeasure at being woken. She rolled onto my chest and nuzzled in. "I don't want to get up. I was having a good dream." She mumbled sleepily. I grinned and ran my fingers through her hair.

"Oh really, what were you dreaming about love?" One of her eyes popped open and had a mischievous look in it.

"You'll find out tonight." I don't know if it was her remembering the dream or if she had just finally calmed down but our attachment magic broke and I stretched my hand thankfully. I raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled. "I can't explain it to you, but, something really special is going to happen. I don't want to ruin any surprises."

"I had a dream about us too." I admitted - she looked up at me waiting for me to continue. "It must be pretty far in the future, you looked different, harder than you do now. I don't know where we were, but, we were getting physical with each other, and I looked over your body – you were pregnant." Hermione jerked her head up and looked at me like I had just told her that Christmas was cancelled forever.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sure you heard me. You were pregnant, with our child. "

"I guess I've never thought about having children." She breathed.

"It's a long time off Hermione." She nodded and settled her head back onto my chest. "We should probably get up if we want to make it to breakfast." She nodded and pushed up off the bed. We both got ready and exited the room we took a shortcut hidden behind a tapestry and I pulled her into a brief kiss before we re-emerged several floors lower and took separate routes to the Great Hall. The one thing that was kind of tricky in all of this was that our relationship had to kept a complete secret from almost everyone. The day blew by quickly and I couldn't be mad about that as I had been making plans for Valentine's Day for weeks now. After class I rushed down to my dorm room and gathered up a couple things I had hidden there for the event I had planned for that night and grabbed up my change of clothes. I left just as quickly and ran headlong into Blaise on my way out of the common room.

"Where's the fire mate?" He asked as he steadied us preventing a fall.

"Sorry Blaise, I guess I'm in a bit of a hurry. I've got quite the night planned." He smirked and patted my shoulder.

"Getting some for Valentine's Day, huh?"

"A gentleman never tells Blaise. I've got to go, we should catch up later this week, I feel like I haven't talked to you lately."

"You've been busy." He grinned as though he knew what I had been up to. "Not to worry mate, I've been busy too!"

"What, with whom?"

"A gentleman never tells Draco." He hurled my words back at me. I laughed and shook my head.

"Well fine Blaise, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."

"I will later this week when we catch up." I nodded and waved as I dashed off again. Hermione had promised that she would give me till seven o'clock to get the Room ready to my specifications, and that meant that I only had an hour left, and I still needed to stop in at the kitchens. When I finally made it up to the Room, and got everything ready it was with ten minutes to spare and I sat heavily on the couch taking in the work I had done. I still had to get changed, but, that wouldn't take very long. I had gone a little overkill, but, I didn't think Hermione would mind. I pushed up from the couch and changed into my dress robes in the bathroom. When I came back out Hermione was standing in the middle of the room taking in the changes. She looked amazing. A suitably pink and red dress adorned her body, and she had taken extra care with her hair and makeup. In the candlelight I had rigged up, and the over the top decorations she fit the scene perfectly.

"This place looks amazing Draco!" I walked towards her smiling.

"You look amazing." She blushed faintly. I pulled her toward me and pressed a kiss to her mouth.

"When did you have time to get all of this?" She asked, and I shrugged in response. I led her to a blanket I had set up in front of the fire and we sat. I pulled up the basket I had had the house elves prepare. I pulled out all of Hermione's favourite foods, and some chocolate cake –my favourite. We chatted easily over dinner and soon we had cleared everything out of the way and were lying in front of the fire. I looked up and out the window, where I could see the stars shining brightly in the sky, and a quarter moon waxing in the sky. Seeing the moon I felt a pull in my body, a feeling that this was it. I stood and offered Hermione a hand up. She quirked an eyebrow but accepted my hand.

"I got you a little something."

"No you didn't." She answered. I laughed.

"I did," I reached into my pocket and pulled out the black velvet box I had stashed there, tied in a red ribbon. I held it out to her and she looked suspiciously from me to the box and back a couple of times.

"That's not fair, I didn't get you anything." She pouted. I grinned and stepped toward her catching her up in a kiss.

"You didn't need to get me anything. I got this because I could, and I wanted to, so just take it, okay?" She blushed faintly and nodded her head, taking the box from my hand and opening the present. It was a necklace I had fashioned to match her earrings. She gasped when she saw it and fingered it gently. "This is beautiful Draco!" I helped her fasten it around her neck; she was already wearing the earrings that matched it.

"A perfect pairing," I declared. She smiled and drew closer to me pressing a kiss to my lips before just leaning into a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered I grinned to myself and pulled out of the hug.

"You're welcome Hermione." I pulled my wand from my pocket and music started playing from nowhere. Hermione smiled as I span her into a slow dance. "Are you ready?" I asked her. She bit her lip slightly and looked as though she was remembering something, a smile spread over her face.

"I'm ready Draco." I bent and pressed a kiss to her mouth simply before moving my hands. They had been resting on the small of her back, and I moved them, sliding lower to rest on her bottom. Leaving my hands there I gently pulled her closer to me and grinned at the small sharp intake of breath she made at the gesture. Leaving one hand in place I trailed the other one up her body to the zipper of her dress, dragging it down slowly, all the while maintaining the gentle sway to the music that constituted slow dancing. I slid my hand slowly over the now exposed flesh of her back and watched as she shivered slightly. I span her so her back was to my chest and brought my mouth to her shoulder, kissing and sucking down the length of her arm as I freed it from her dress, I copied the exact motions on the other arm and soon her dress was hanging about her waist. I caught my breath at the black lace bra she was wearing – fiery minx. My hands found their way to her ribcage and felt every inch of skin as they made their way to the pooled fabric of her dress. It slid easily and slowly from her body and I wasn't disappointed to see she was wearing matching underwear. She stepped out of her shoes and the now forgotten dress and back into my arms.

"I thought you said you didn't get me anything for Valentine's Day?" I questioned fingering the strap of her bra. She smiled and leant up nipping at my jawline.

"I wanted to surprise you." She all but purred. I drew in a deep breath and reminded myself that patience would be needed for this exchange. I brought my hand to the back of her head and tilted it up searing a kiss to her lips and feeling a delicious contrast of lace covered skin, and then smooth bare skin with my other hand as it ran up and down her body. I felt her fingers pushing the robes from my shoulders, and undoing the buttons of my shirt. I hissed in pleasure as she ran her fingers over my stomach and chest. She pushed the shirt from my frame and reached for the belt on my pants, nimbly undoing it and unbuttoning my pants in a seamless gesture. A slight buzzing noise came from the unzipping of my pants and soon those were shed too. We stood clasped together in nothing but our underwear, still dancing to the music.

"You're stunning," I growled as I took in her form in the flickering light of the room. The corners of her mouth turned up sexily at the compliment and I felt a moan building in the back of my throat as I looked at her. Gradually I moved us back the blanket in front of the fire and finally stopped our swaying. I kissed my way down her forehead, onto her nose, onto her lips, pausing and really delivering the passion I felt in that moment before continuing down. I kissed her chin, and onto her neck, down to her sternum and over her stomach. Finally kneeling I licked at her belly button and kissed lower and lower, finally catching her underwear in my teeth. I gently eased them down rather than tearing them off as I imagined they were not a cheap pair of knickers. I restarted the trail of kisses where I had left off. I gently nudged her thighs apart and her fingers tangled up in my hair as I started lavishing attention on her sensitive bits. I pulled back as her legs started quivering and she made a sound of displeasure. I took her hands with mine and pulled her down to my level, laying her gently on her back. I resumed my previous activity and kept at it until she tightened around me moaning out my name on a climax. I slid back up her body and feathered kisses over her neck as I let her come back down from the peak. I took the moment to cast a contraception charm between us, knowing I would soon forget myself. She was breathing heavily and opened her eyes, burning my soul with the scorching look of passion she gave me. I felt it in everything that I was that now was the time. Hermione nodded her head almost imperceptibly as though reading my thoughts. I brought my mouth to hers and lavished a kiss on her. One hand tangling in her wild curls while the other travelled down her body, finding her wet and ready, I flicked my hand over the bundle of nerves that never failed to drive her wild. I drew back and stared into her eyes as I positioned myself to enter her. Gently I pushed in the tiniest bit, further and further until I was fully inside. I could feel her pulsing around me and it was an indescribable feeling of rightness. Just then magic enveloped our bodies entirely, a golden light surrounding us and dazzling my eyes. I looked at Hermione, unsure of what this meant, but driven to continue by the almost painful amount of pleasure I was feeling. I set a pace that Hermione easily matched and rested my head in the crook of her neck trying to remember to breathe, I felt when she exploded around me and took only seconds more to feel my entire body tense up and then relax. The light grew ever brighter as we climaxed and then vanished completely. I lay draped over her and focused on getting my breath back. Hermione's hands played lazily through my hair as she did the same. I pulled out and off of her and pulled her on top of me. She hummed in contentment and pressed a kiss to my chest.

"That was…well, that was amazing." She breathed out. I smiled and nodded, leaning up to kiss her feverishly. "Was that normal?" She asked me, alluding to I was sure, the light.

"No, I don't think so; I've never had that happen before."

"Something else we'll need to look into I guess." She shrugged.

"Every time we touch it amounts in more work for us. I should stay well away from you." She laughed and bit my neck not so gently.

"I'd just like to see you try." I laughed and kissed her again.

"So, was it the terror you'd imagined it to be?" I asked. She shook her head no.

"It was perfect, you were perfect." She gently slid off of me and curled into my side. I shook my head.

"You were perfect."

"Maybe we both were." I laughed and pulled her closer to me.

"I can agree to that." I felt her shiver slightly as the perspiration dried on her skin. I sat and pulled her into my arms, carting her off to the bathroom. "It's great fun but it can be a bit of a messy business." I explained as I deposited her in the shower and turned the water on, stepping in myself. A long distracted shower and several attempts at getting re-dressed later, found us curled on the couch together eating chocolate cake.

"I don't believe I've ever had a better Valentine's Day." Hermione said at length stretching and laying more fully on top of me.

"This one has topped all the others for me." I agreed easily.

"How do you feel about it? I know you hate feeling like you've lost control." I could tell from the tone of her voice her question meant more than she had voiced. I gently angled her head toward mine and waited until she made eye contact with me.

"Everything feels exactly right. I've never been happier." I assured her. She smiled and pushed up kissing me sweetly. I wrapped my arms over her as she settled back onto my chest and slowly fell more in love with her as I watched her fall asleep to the rhythm of my heart beating. Her breathing evened out and she made her humming noises more frequently than any other night previously and I smiled to myself. I wondered vaguely when I had become such a softie that nothing made me happier than watching the witch I loved sleeping in my arms. I had always had a bit of a bad boy reputation, I had courted and bedded my share of ladies before Hermione, but I had never fully appreciated the act of lovemaking quite like I had that night. I ran one of my hands as lightly as I could up and down her back luxuriating in the absolute comfort that I felt in that moment. I wondered if any moment could possibly top this one in my life, I didn't know, but I looked forward to finding out. I was filled with a sense of optimism I had never known before and I knew it all came down to the treasure in my arms. I tightened my grip on her and vowed to myself that I would never let her go.

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 **AN: My apologies for yesterday, my body said hey you're going to sleep all day right? And I said, sure why not? But, I'm back today with this little charmer which I wrote in just under three hours for you, so if there are some mistakes that's why. The chapter is about 300 words shy of where I like m chapter length, but it just ended so perfectly I couldn't add more. I'm pleased to welcome Blaise back into this story! I know the first quarter may seem a bit hasty and rushed but I wanted to get to the good part ;) While I was writing this for some reason Every time we touch by Cascada was running through my brain. If you haven't ever listened to it, you must, it's a bop! Guys, the next review on this story will bring it to 100 reviews, I'm speechless! Thank you guys so much!**

 **Speaking of reviews, I'll thank the people that make them happen! Lovesagoodstory19, Juliemaggie(he won't be a werewolf I've just got a thing for growls), AnayaR(I wish I had an answer, but I am in no way in control of my writing. This will probably be a lengthy story though.), pinkduck2587, piratekiddo, CancerScorpio15, chapou69, and nicolemae666! You guys are the absolute best and I'm sending imaginary hugs your way, unless you're not into hugging. :P**

 **Now, you knew I would do this. Please review by typing something into that little box down there and hitting submit! Even if you type - This was a little too spicy! - I'll still smile because sorry, I like spice! Haah! Review, fav, and follow! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	21. You Bore me to Tears

21\. You Bore me to Tears

That weekend found Hermione and me inseparable, only leaving the Room for food. However Monday found us back in class and holding up the charade of meaning nothing to each other proved difficult in our shared classes and during meals. I had to train my eyes not to hungrily seek her out, and I had to control my hands not to touch her. I had promised Blaise that I would meet up with him after dinner, and I also had rounds that night, so, time alone with Hermione would have to wait until much later in the day. After dinner Blaise and I made our way to the library and sat at one of the tables far in the back of the room. Blaise casually cast a muffle around us and shot me a look. "So spill - how was your Valentine's Day?"

"It went according to plan. It was very illuminating. That's all I'll say. It's your turn, who are you seeing and why didn't I know?" I asked. Blaise smirked and leant forward.

"You're not going to believe me when I say it, but, I've been seeing Luna Lovegood." He glanced toward me and away. I tried to picture it in my brain.

"How?" Was the only word that would come out of my mouth.

"Well just before Christmas break Professor Flitwick asked me if I would tutor a student who was having a bit of trouble in the year lower than me, I said that was fine and it was Luna. We met up so I could tutor her and we just hit it off. It's been a bit of a slowly simmering romance really. I was a little nervous to confess my feelings to her, but she likes me too. It was our first date yesterday." I listened in partially stunned silence.

"You and Lovegood, huh…what do you two talk about? She's a bit out there isn't she?"

"It's not like she only ever talks about articles from the quibbler Draco. She's very intelligent, I mean, she's a Ravenclaw. She's really funny too, I think if you gave her a chance you'd see her differently."

"I would give anyone you were courting a chance Blaise." I assured him. He grinned and decided it was time to talk about me again.

"It was very illuminating is a bizarre way to describe a night Draco." Blaise was privy to the knowledge that Hermione and I were attached but I didn't ever discuss the particulars with him.

"Literally illuminated," I said with a pointed look at him. His brows furrowed and he started and stopped a sentence multiple times before responding.

"Like, you both started glowing while you were…" I nodded as his sentence trailed off. "But what does that mean?" I shrugged.

"I can't recall ever reading anything about that happening. It's not in any of our books, and the only thing I can ever remember witnessing that was remotely similar was at a wedding once. A couple years ago one of my distant cousins was getting married, and when the officiant was casting their marriage bond their hands glowed blue until they finished saying I do. This was our entire bodies though. It doesn't happen every time, but it has happened more than once now." I felt like I was maybe sharing a bit too much with Blaise, but I knew I could trust him.

"You were a busy boy this weekend, huh?" He winked and I rolled my eyes at him. He chuckled before thinking for a minute. "Oddly enough I think I have heard my mom talking about that." I quirked an eyebrow at the statement and gestured for Blaise to explain. "She had a bunch of her friends round for tea when I was quite a bit younger and I was listening at the door, I could write her and ask about it?"

"That wouldn't be too embarrassing for you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Mom likes it when I ask her questions about life, no matter the context, she feels like it makes our familial bond special. I'll write her tomorrow." Blaise's mom always kind of weirded me out; she was into all sorts of arcane magic and had been married more times than I could count. Blaise kind of reminded me of her in the sense that she always sounded a bit flirtatious. But, if she could help out with this I would be indebted to her. Blaise and I chatted for the next couple of hours until I had to rush off to meet up with Ron for rounds. We were patrolling the Main floor that night and I had to meet him outside the Great Hall. I rushed away from Blaise and promised to meet up with him later in the week. Ron was already waiting for me outside the Great Hall. He inclined his head in greeting.

"Hello Weasley, sorry I'm late I was with Blaise in the Library, I guess I must have lost track of time." He shrugged it off.

"I've only just gotten here." We set off on our rounds, a silence between us. Finally I heard Weasley sigh and he looked over at me. "You've got some experience with women." He stated, I fought the urge to make a pithy remark and nodded. "Well what do you do to let a girl down easy? Lav is driving me nuts and I'm not quite sure how to stop dating her." I smirked and thought for a moment.

"She's got Weasley fever does she?" I asked.

"Forget I said anything." Weasley muttered.

"It was a joke Weasley, don't be so sensitive. It's an awkward problem faced by many, what to do when a witch is feeling you, and you're not into it. It really depends on how you want her to regard you after. Do you care if she hates you?" He shrugged.

"I would prefer to end it amicably, but I know that's not really a thing."

"It's tricky." I agreed. "If you don't really care what happens just say you're done; If you want to salvage anything out of it, or it would make you feel better just talk to her. I once made friends with this beautiful French witch while my family was vacationing in France and she was amazing. Really funny, really smart, a great lay, and she wanted to do long distance, but, I knew that wasn't for me. We talked it out and we're still friends till this day. Brown seems kind of flighty though, I don't think I'd try too hard to keep being friends with her." Weasley seemed to agree. "Just don't go for any clichés. Don't say it's not you it's me, don't say you've grown apart, just say it like it is."

"Sorry Lav, but you bore me to tears and kissing you isn't exciting anymore hardly seems appropriate." I laughed and shook my head.

"No, don't say that…let's see. Lavender, I think that we are interested in different things, we just don't have much in common, and I think we should look for people we're more compatible with. May be a better option?" Weasley nodded.

"That's a better way to put it for sure! Thanks I guess Malfoy, maybe you aren't so bad." He admitted, I laughed lightly.

"That's high praise coming from you." We finished out our rounds talking about different ways the conversation with Lavender could go, and soon found ourselves back at the Great Hall. Weasley bid me an awkward goodnight before heading off up the stairs. I stood where I was giving him a head start and then ascended the stairs too, I took the shortcut that would lead me to the Room and found myself pacing and thinking 'pasta monster' in no time. Hermione was already there, her nose in a book, so enthralled she didn't notice me enter. I smirked and prowled toward her, plucking the book from her hands and tossing it onto the table. "And here I was hoping that you would be waiting for me, almost insane with desire." She smirked and shifted so she was facing me.

"I was doing that and it got a little out of control." She grinned saucily and lifted her skirt a bit revealing that she wasn't wearing underwear. My mind went crazy at the thought.

"Well I suppose you've no need for me then." I shrugged letting my hands slide down my body to rest on my belt. I slowly untucked my shirt and shrugged off my robes.

"I wouldn't say that. You've got quite a bit more skill with your fingers than I have." I quirked an eyebrow and drew in a deep breath fighting back the mental image that was forming.

"Is that so? Maybe you could show me and I'll give you some pointers?" She flushed a little, biting her lip. To my surprise she leant over the couch and grabbed my tie, pulling me around the couch and pushing me to sit on the table in front of her. My mouth went a little dry as she placed her feet on either side of me on the table and slid her skirt up and out of the way. My hands went to her ankles where my thumbs worked in small circles over her calves. She eyes me for a moment before her hands slid down to touch herself. I felt my favourite appendage jump a little. Her hands were a little uncertain, but she seemed to have been paying attention to what my hands did when they were on her body. I was getting breathless watching her, our breathing speeding up together. Before she could climax she stopped and refocused on me.

"Your turn," She uttered breathily. Her eyes slid down my body. I shifted so her feet rested lightly on my things and obliged. I slowly pushed open the buckle on my belt, and gingerly undid the button on my pants before sliding the zipper down with a satisfying noise. I shifted my boxers down and my length burst free. I watched Hermione watching me and slowly brought my hand to touch the base. My hand worked in a practiced fashion and I took in Hermione's reaction. I used my other hand to cast a charm between us. I let go of myself and stood, bringing Hermione with me. I walked until I pushed her against the wall and ravaged her mouth with mine. Her fingers delved into my hair and I brought her legs up to encircle my waist and sunk into her. She made a deep humming noise and drove me wild with it, I pumped in harder. I bit and sucked at her neck while her hand pulled ferociously at my hair, one of her hands eventually finding its way under my shirt and digging into my back. With one arm keeping her afloat I brought my other hand between us and pressed my thumb against her, swirling it and listening to her lose control. Her nails dug in sharp as she quivered around me and I went still finding my release. Her legs fell limply to the ground and I held her steady as we caught our breaths. I pulled back looking at her neck, which was starting to bruise and had some broken skin on it.

"Sorry about that." I indicated her neck and she brought her hand to touch it. She shrugged.

"The rest of this school year is going to be very interesting." She declared. I laughed and agreed.

"I'm finding it difficult to keep my hands to myself whenever we are remotely close to each other." I confessed. She nodded.

"I've been wet all day." I drew in a sharp breath.

"Don't tell me that. I can't disguise my arousal quite as easily as you can." She laughed agreeing with me.

"I hope we're out of this manic sexual period by summer. The Weasley household is way too full for us to do anything there." I nodded. While I didn't hope for the honeymoon phase to be over, getting hard over Hermione all the time would be an inconvenience. I lifted her back up and carried us off the bathroom, drawing off our clothes as we went. After round two in the shower, and discovering bloody claw marks on my back, we were back on the couch. I had one arm wrapped around Hermione and the other was reading a new book I had ordered on attachment magic. This one had so far contained little new information, but I read carefully anyway in case there might be something to learn. Hermione was reading a book on dreams and the only sound beyond page flicking was that of the fire crackling. Hermine soon sighed and closed the book, putting it on the table and curling into my side. I marked my place in the book I was reading and laid it aside to look at her.

"What's on your mind love?"

"You," She answered honestly. We haven't actually talked much since Friday, how're you feeling?" She asked. I grinned and tilted her chin up capturing her up in a soft, slow kiss.

"I feel like a new person; like I've got so much more to fight for now. I really, really love you Hermione. After our first night together I sat and watched you sleeping against me and just felt something I've never felt before - like suddenly you were a more real part of me, one that I never want to lose. I've never needed anything more than I need you. Not even sexually, even if we just sat here holding hands I need that, you know?" I felt her nod against me.

"I felt like I would feel weird, or unsure after losing my virginity, but, I just felt right. I feel like I can't even remember a time when you weren't important to me. Like the past just faded out and we were here." She settled heavier into my side. "It's crazy to me that we used to hate each other." I nodded.

"I guess fate knew better." She nodded and laid her head against me.

"I think I like this part just as much as the actual sex. I feel so relaxed, and so safe here with you." While I slightly disagreed I couldn't say this wasn't nice too.

"We're going to be worn out by the end of this week." I laughed. She agreed. And I was right. By the time Friday rolled around all I wanted to do was sleep. I had been foregoing lunches for noon romps with Hermione wherever we could manage; I was starting to feel a little bit like Justin and Hannah. Nights were spent pleasuring each other into the early hours and that morning I hardly had the energy to get it up. Arriving at the Room that night before Hermione I slid into a pair of sweatpants and flopped onto the bed. I must have fallen asleep, because I was awoken by Hermione laying her body partially on top of mine. My eyes blinked open and I fought the groan that wanted to rip from me. Instead I rolled over and slid Hermine onto my chest catching her up in a quick kiss.

"I'm absolutely exhausted." She sighed. I noted that she had put on pajamas too before interrupting my sleep. "I didn't mean to wake you." I shrugged and held her a little closer to me.

"Would you be upset if we just slept tonight, I'm out of steam." She chuckled and nodded her head against me. We quickly crawled under the covers and situated ourselves into a spooning cuddle. A sharp burn on our hands indicated an attachment and I groaned. Hermione sighed and inspected our hands.

"I don't know what this is; I'm too tired, let's deal with this in the morning." I agreed and happily let my eyes shut. Before I had time to even relax fully I was asleep again.

 _Hermione, Potter, Weasley and I all stood in a forest around a stump that had a locket lying on it. The other three were all casting magic at it trying to destroy it, but I knew that wouldn't work. I let them try for a bit before raising a hand and getting them to stop. I picked up the locket and could hear it whispering. "This is no ordinary enchanted locket guys, this has a piece of you-know-who's soul in it. Destroying something this dark is going to take either something equally dark, or equally powerful. The other fun thing about this is that it will probably be able to screw with our emotions. Come listen to this." I let the others press their ears to the locket one by one, you had to listen closely, but, you could tell it was whispering. "No one wears this locket for more than eight hours, and never sleep with it on. If it wasn't so valuable I would say we hide it somewhere and pick it up when we have a means of destroying it, but that's too risky." Harry held his hand out and put the locket around his neck._

 _"I'll take first watch here. Hermione is there anything else we can do for Ron?" He asked, I noticed then that Weasley looked a little peaky and had a sling on. She shook her head._

 _"I've done all that I can for a Splinch. Ron, why don't you go ahead and rest, we'll try to come up with what to do next."_

 _"Why don't you go lie down too Hermione, that healing has taken it out of you." I gently laid my hand on the side of her face and brushed the dark circles under her eyes. She looked about to argue but I shook my head. She pouted but gave in._

 _"Come on Ron, let's go." They disappeared into the tent and Potter and I set about making a fire and ensuring are protective spells were properly in place. Eventually we sat next to each by the fire._

 _"Well Potter, one horcrux located we've got to be happy about that." He attempted a smile._

 _"Nothing seems very happy at the minute." He laid his chin against his drawn up knees and sighed._

 _"We've got this Harry, you need to believe that. If you give up then there's no point." He nodded._

 _"What do you reckon we can use to destroy this thing?" He asked. I shrugged and thought back over what I knew of dark artifacts. I had never dealt with something quite so dark before._

 _"Something this dark as I said will need something else horrible, or something else as powerful." The thought of more powerful hit my brain and I had a realization. "Actually I think I've got it!"_

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 **AN: Hola my lovelies! Uhm I don't have much to say about this chappie. I like it. Hopefully you did too. Are ya'll okay with the descriptions of the sexual encounters? I could bump it back or maybe up? LOLOL lemme know! I think the next chapter is going to be a bit more about the plot line rather than just Draco and Hermione getting it on. Hahah! I don't think I have any silly anecdotes from writing this chapter.  
**

 **Thanks to my reviwers! Juliemaggie(Not going to lie, I considered an untimely attachment but thought that would be terrible, and I did find one mistake, but I already fixed it!) and pinkduck2587(thank you!)! I am sure my update schedule would have fallen apart by now if it wasn't for all the beautiful reviews I've gotten. I'm kinda like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings where I get a review and I'm like yes...my precious! Lolol!**

 **So go ahead and leave me a review! Even if it's just like - K, but Smeagol is actaully adorable - I'll agree, cause he's creepy af but also kinda cute? Lol! Review, fav, and follow! Thanks for reading!**

 **~WS**


	22. A Feeling

22\. A Feeling

Sunday had become my least favourite day of the week. Hermione and I would wake up, and pretty much immediately play host to Potter and Weasley. After my last dream I had surmised that we would all be on the run together apparently sharing a tent, so if we didn't become friendly toward one another things could get ugly really quickly. On this particular Sunday, in mid-March, Hermione had woken up in a bad mood, snapped at me for no apparent reason and then acted like everything was fine as soon as her two cohorts showed up. I sat unhappily on the couch next to her and listened to them reminisce about cleaning out a ballroom somewhere. I bit back a sigh and tried to look interested. The story finally concluded with the golden trio all laughing at some antic the terror Weasley twins had pulled off, and Hermione excused herself to the washroom. I looked over at Weasley, desperate for a topic change. "So, did you break-up with Lavender?" I asked him. He nodded and rolled his eyes.

"She asked me to go on a walk with her not long after you and I talked and she was hanging off of me and excitedly chattering on about our plans for the Summer." I winced. "I stopped walking and pulled her to face me and just said that I doubted we'd be together this summer and that she shouldn't make too many plans."

"That's ballsy, what did she say?"

"Well she got hysterical, yelling at me and going on and on about how boys aren't in touch with their feelings, so I tried your line of I don't think we have much in common. Well she got into an even bigger huff and screeched something at me before stomping off. So…didn't go all that well, but at least I'm well shot of her."

"You talked to Malfoy about your problems with Lavender?" Potter asked. They were sitting in transfigured armchairs across the coffee table from each other much like our first meeting. Weasley shrugged and nodded.

"We were on Patrol together one night and I figured he would know a thing or two about it." Potter looked put out.

"Tell you what Potter, next time Weasley is having lady issues and asks my advice I'll send him straight to you instead. I don't want to step on any toes here." I tried bitterly to keep the biting edge out of my voice. Potter glared at me and then shot Weasley a glare too. Hermione chose that moment to reappear and sat next to me on the couch.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, probably sensing the tension.

"Potter's nose is out of joint because Weasley asked for my advice instead of his." Hermione looked confused.

"Ron asked Draco for advice, about what?" She asked.

"I needed advice on how to break up with Lav." Weasley supplied.

"I think I'm failing to see what the big deal is here." She shrugged.

"Just never mind, I don't care!" Harry snapped. Everyone looked over at him in confusion.

"You know Hermione; just because you're sleeping with him and have stars in your eyes where he's concerned doesn't mean everyone else does. Trying to become friends with him is stupid. He's an arrogant prick, as always!" I lifted my hands in a shrugging gesture of confusion.

"I'm not sure why you're so angry mate. I didn't even say anything rude, did I?"

"Yeah I'm sure everything you said in your snide tone was simply to be helpful. Sorry Hermione but I'm not dealing with this shit today!" Potter made to stand and so did Hermione. I looked over at Weasley with a confused look on my face. He shrugged apparently not understanding the outburst either.

"What has gotten into you Harry?" Hermione asked, blocking him from leaving the room.

"Things aren't supposed to be like this Hermione, Draco is not a good person, and you need to open your eyes! I can see how unhappy he's making you."

"What are you talking about?" She sounded hurt.

"You'll come to your senses soon I hope." With that Harry strode from the room angrily. Weasley stood and went over to Hermione.

"He's bang out of order; I don't know where all of that was coming from. I'll go talk to him." He awkwardly patted Hermione on the shoulder and threw a wave at me before exiting the room as well. Hermione turned to look at me.

"What did you do?" She asked. I blinked once in shock.

"Excuse me Hermione, what did I do? I didn't do anything maybe your friend just decided to be a prick, nice of you to take my side." I went to grab my bag intending on storming out too. Hermione grabbed my arm before I could leave.

"Is this because I was short with you this morning?" She asked. My face contorted and I begged myself not to yell at the infuriating witch in front of me.

"This has nothing to do with that! I was going to talk with you about that later, but since you brought it up, I really don't appreciate you having some bizarre mood swing and taking it out on me. It's bullshit, and it had no bearing on how I treated your friends today. I just casually asked Weasley how talking to Brown went and Harry got up in arms. I don't think it's my fault that perfect Potter is having a hissy fit today. It really fucks me up that you think that way about me." I pulled my arm from her grip. I could see tears building in her eyes but was too upset to let it stop from walking toward the door. "Maybe let me know when you believe I'm better than that."

"Draco, wait!" My hand was on the door and I looked back at her. "Can you just wait here for a minute, let me go find them and see what Harry has to say." I shook my head.

"I'm not interested in watching you take your friends side." I turned to door handle and made my way into the hall, quickly disappearing behind the tapestry to the short cut and walking along at a fast clip. I heard footsteps behind me and only quickened my gait. I came through at the bottom of the secret passage and directed myself quickly to the dungeons. The footsteps had faded off awhile back and I made my way at a more sedate pace to my dorm room. I chucked my things down on my bed and swore, sitting down and putting my face in my hands. I was unsure how the day had gone so incredibly wrong. A sudden thought popped into my head and I got back up leaving my room and heading towards Snape's classroom. I knocked on the door and was told to enter. I did so and closed the door behind me. Snape was sitting at his desk, writing something. He looked up and raised his eyebrows before indicating that I should sit.

"What can I do for you Mister Malfoy?" He asked. I shrugged.

"It's been a bad day and I don't know who else to talk to about it. I just had a meeting with the Gryffindor heroes and it went badly. Potter was being an asshole for no apparent reason, and Hermione was taking his side. What if we can't get over how things were and work together? Right now I don't even want to look at them." Snape sighed and sat back in his chair. "He was yelling about how I'm this awful person and how Hermione needs to open her eyes about me, I didn't even instigate anything. Why do I even care if they like me?"

"It's because you care about her." There was a wistful edge to his voice that confused me. "Sometimes Draco, we do things we normally wouldn't for those that we love. Unless you want everything you've worked for to fall apart you need to get this situation sorted out." I sighed but nodded, of course he was right.

"I guess I should figure out what Potter's problem is."

"It might help if you stopped calling them Potter and Weasley." Snape suggested. The edge of my mouth lifted in a smirk.

"I need to take it one step at a time professor." He grinned and sat back in his chair. "This year has all just been a bit much for me."

"You've done amazingly well Draco." I nodded acknowledging his words. "I really am proud Draco, and I know if your Father were seeing things clearly would be too." I had come to regard Snape as almost a second father, his praise meant a lot to me.

"Thank you sir; I suppose I should go find Potter." He nodded and stood when I did.

"Chin up Draco, I'm always here if you need me."

"I appreciate that sir, truly." He nodded as I left the room and I thought about where I would go if I were Potter. I decided to just wander and see if I could bump into him. The lower half of the castle was a no go so I decided to head outdoors. I angled toward the Quidditch Pitch and saw a figure doing complex manoeuvers. Bingo! No one else could fly like that. I entered the pitch and looked up. Weasley was hovering near the goal posts and hurling objects for Potter to catch, they stopped dead as the saw me approach.

"Come to make my day worse Malfoy?" Potter snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"Can you come down, I just want to talk." I saw him debate, throwing a look at Weasley. They floated down and Weasley walked toward me.

"He's in a foul mood, I'd be careful if I were you." I nodded understanding the warning. Weasley took off toward the changing room presumably to lock up his broom. I turned to Potter.

"What was that about this morning?" I asked him. He glared and paced a bit before planting his feet and staring at me.

"Things just feel off this year. Something feels off about you and Hermione. We never get to see her anymore, like she'd rather spend time with you than anything else." So, he was jealous. An emotion I fully understood.

"That's not my fault Potter. I don't control Hermione, and we don't control the bond, it's rather the other way around. You can't stand there and tell me you think I've made the bond up." He shrugged and looked away from me.

"I know you haven't. I've seen it with my own eyes. But it sucks." I shrugged.

"I can only offer to up the time that we spend with you or to encourage Hermione to seek you out more often. But, as I said she'll do what she wants to do." He glared again.

"I wish you and your stupid blood magic had never interfered with our lives. I don't like you Malfoy; I would have never chosen to be friends with someone like you. It's like you've been foisted onto us, I don't like it." I blinked a few times trying to formulate a response.

"I didn't ask for this to happen Potter. I never would have chosen you either. But, that's the way it is. You want to make this more difficult then so be it. I'll try my best to remember the fact that you've been friends for a long time, and you need her too. I would never take back this bond with Hermione, it means everything to me, but, I am sorry that it's made things more difficult, I truly am." Potter kicked his foot into the ground petulantly and turned away from me taking in a deep breath. He span back to face me.

"I'm sorry too, today just…has gone wrong from the moment I woke up. Something is bugging me, and I guess I took it out on you." I shrugged.

"What's bugging you?"

"I don't know, just something – something isn't right, can you feel it?" I furrowed my brow.

"Hermione woke up in a shitty mood too maybe something is wrong with today."

"So I was right, Hermione was upset this morning." I nodded. Harry looked pensive and shook himself before talking again. "Would you come with me to find her? I need to clean up the mess I made this morning." I admired his sense of responsibility. I assented to going looking for Hermione. There were only so many places she would be. I had just realized that Weasley had never come back, probably wanted to give Potter and I time to talk things out. Harry headed to the changing rooms to stow his broom before reappearing. We left the pitch and headed back up to the school.

"She'll either be in the Library, the Room, or in your Common Room, I can't really see her going anywhere else." Potter nodded in agreement. We shuffled up the stairs and toward the Library. "I'll take the left you take the right?" I asked, it reminded me of doing nightly patrols. He nodded and we separated combing the Library. "I didn't see her, did you?" I asked when we met up back in the middle again.

"No, she's not here. I guess we head up to seven then. I'll check the Common Room, and if she isn't in there we'll head over to the Room." We started making our way up the stairs.

"Potter, are you…jealous? That Weasley was asking me for advice and that Hermione spends so much time with me?" He huffed out a breath, crossing his arms as we walked.

"They're my friends Malfoy; it bothers me when they turn to you instead of me."

"The thing with Weasley was no big deal Potter. We were on rounds; it gets very boring and awkward if you both just walk around not talking to each other. I can't help that Hermione and I are as close as we are."

"Ron doesn't ask people for advice, he is a hot head, he goes charging into situations without thinking. It's bizarre that the first time he thinks something through he turns to you. I guess it just upset me." He would not admit to the jealousy still. I shrugged.

"You might not want to believe it Potter, but, I am a good person to know, I give out good advice and try to be there for the people that need me. We don't have to be this fractured group of people who just interact because they have to. We can try to be amicable, I thought you had agreed to that already, that's why this morning surprised me." Harry dropped his arms and sighed.

"I know, I'll try not to let it happen again." We had finally cleared the staircase and reached the seventh floor landing. I followed Harry to a portrait of a fat lady, he whispered something and she nodded, the painting swung forward, revealing the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. I leant against a wall and waited for Harry. He came back less than ten minutes later. "She's not in there." He declared. I sighed and pushed off the wall, we made our way to the Room, a thankfully shorter walk. I paced in front of the wall thinking the password and a door appeared, I pushed the door open and saw Hermione sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. Her arms wrapped around her knees and hastily swiping away tears every now and again. I looked back at Harry and he looked apprehensive. I pulled him into the room behind me and shut the door. Hermione looked up. She looked confused at seeing Potter and I together. I couldn't help my reaction of going to her and wiping my thumbs softly under her eyes.

"Don't cry Hermione."

"I'm sorry." She whispered. I nodded and turned her so we could talk to Potter.

"Are you okay 'Mione?" Harry asked. She nodded. "I don't really know how to explain what happened this morning. I was in a mood, and we got here and it seemed like you were in a mood, and then Ron was telling Draco things he didn't tell me…I felt put out, kind of like Draco was replacing me in our friend group."

"That's ridiculous Harry." Hermione chastised.

"I know that. It was just how I felt. I lashed out, I already apologized to Mal-Draco, I already apologized to Draco, and I wanted to apologize to you. I wasn't fair this morning." She nodded. She pushed to her feet and walked towards Harry. They talked briefly and quietly I didn't try to pick up their conversation. She leant up and hugged him.

"Thanks Harry, we'll talk tomorrow." She said as she drew back. Harry looked at me and I nodded at him. He gave Hermione's hand a squeeze before he turned and left the room. I stayed sitting where I was. She came to kneel in front of me. "I am sorry Draco. I didn't mean to make it sound like I was accusing you of anything. I know Harry and Ron aren't perfect. I just knew that I went to the bathroom everything seemed fine, and I came out and everything wasn't fine. And I'm sorry about this morning, I don't know what happened, but you didn't deserve me snapping at you like that." I nodded. I reached out taking her hands with mine and playing with them while I thought.

"I don't expect that we will always get along Hermione. Bonded or not we spend all the time that we can together, and sometimes that's a bit much. I don't mind if you get frustrated with me, or if you side against me if I've done something wrong, but, today was just…out of nowhere. I didn't do anything to you and I made two comments that hardly had any bite to them to Potter and both of you were mad at me. If you're feeling tense or need a break from me, please, just tell me next time." She stilled my hands and placed a hand gently on my face.

"I don't need a break from you. I'm sorry Draco, I didn't mean for today to turn out the way that it did." I nodded.

"It's fine. I'm sorry that I stormed out earlier." She shook her head and squeezed my hands.

"I would have left if I were you too." My hands travelled up to her face and I held eye contact with her for a minute before pressing my lips to hers.

"I love you." I kissed her again. "I don't like fighting with you." She pushed in to kiss me harder and I fell back, pulling her on top of me.

"I love you too Draco. I don't want to fight with you either. It's miserable." She pressed another kiss to my lips before laying herself over my chest. One of my hands threaded into her hair, while the other lightly brushed under Hermione's eye, which was puffy from crying. I closed my eyes exhausted from the day.

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 **AN: Woah this chapter took an unexpected twist on me. Sorry for the angst ya'll! Not every chapter can be sunshine and daises I suppose. I like the way that Ron and Draco are kinda becoming buddies but acting like they aren't. Too cute. These scenes are always difficult from a Hermione perspective because no matter what she does someone will end up grouchy. Annnyway I was eating some amazing stir-fry while I edited this chapter and was maybe paying more attention to it than proof-reading. :P Hopefully I still did an alright job.**

 **As always I'll thank my dynamite reviewers! Lovesagoodstory19(LOL! Yeah, you have to submit the review. Don't worry I'm not a huge fan of writing pain, but I'll warn you before anything happens!), Juliemaggie(Hahah, thank you!), and pinkduck2587(Thanks!)!**

 **Now you know that without fail I'll shamelessly beg for a review. So type something into the box down there and hit submit! Even if it's just the lyrics for Paparazzi from Lady Ga Ga (cause that shit is stuck in my head right now) - I'll still be super grateful! So review, fav, and follow! Thanks so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	23. Suspicions

**AN: There is a wee bit of violence and blood in this chapter. I'll mark with an ** if you wish to skip it. It's nothing too crazy though.**

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23\. Suspicions

The weeks were flying past, in a blur, Harry and Hermione were still getting frequent, unexplainable mood swings, and oddly enough I found myself becoming friends with Potter and Weasley. Ron and I had formed a kinship around dealing with the moody Harry and Hermione. We had been to Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore regarding the mood swings that occurred at least once a week. Dumbledore seemed sure that there was something very wrong and that it shouldn't be happening. So we started looking into magicks that controlled emotions. There was a lot to read through. One night in late May found Ron and me rounding together on the third floor. We slowly made our way through the Trophy Room and checked into the Charms Classroom, Ron was unusually quiet and I decided to find out why. "You seem pretty low energy today." I commented. He looked over at me and nodded his head.

"There's a lot going on this year. I'm finding it hard to focus; do you know what I mean?" I nodded.

"I almost feel we've been thrown things meant to distract us…"

"Yeah, it all seems too much at once. Just as we were starting to come to terms with you and Hermione being attached at the hip, suddenly this new stuff starts? It's all a little fishy. I don't know about you, but I'm also getting really fed up with tip-toeing around Harry and Hermione. Like anything we say can send them into a rage." I nodded again. This was inarguably the worst aspect of these mood swings. We all had had countless fights and stupid disagreements. They were nothing compared to when Hermione and Harry would fight with each other when they were in a mood.

"One more fight between Hermione and me will result in bodily harm." I sighed. Ron looked over at me with a sympathetic look.

"It has come to blows between Harry and me once. He's being a right prick. And I get that something bigger is happening, but, it's hard not to take the shit they say and do personally."

"I feel you mate. I just wish we could figure out what's wrong." We sighed in tandem and then looked at each other and chuckled.

"Well, isn't this a nice scene?" I heard a voice call from behind us. I turned and saw Theodore Nott walking toward us, I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What are you on about Theo?" I asked.

"Just you, chumming it up with the weasel here, people are taking Draco, and it's not good. I never took you for a stupid blood-traitor, but maybe I was wrong. You've been seen voluntarily spending time with the entirety of the golden trio, and word circulating around the Slytherin Common Room is that you're shacking up with Granger. Now, when I first heard the rumour I thought you were just toying with her, but now I don't think so. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't report your behaviour to my Father." I rolled my eyes.

"And tell him what Nott? That there's gossip about me floating around the school, and that you think it's true because you saw me laughing once with Weasley? You're some kind of detective Nott, I didn't realize." I turned to Ron and rolled my eyes again.

"Hey Weasley, do you want to be best friends? We can read each other's horoscopes and hang out this summer in that dump you call a home!" Ron glared and I hoped he knew it was an act.

"I'd rather let Snape give me a make-over than spend time with you." He spat back. He turned to look at Theodore. "What are you doing out after hours anyway Nott? Five points from Slytherin!" Theodore turned purple, apparently forgetting to breathe.

"Insulting each other doesn't make you enemies. I'm watching you Draco." He glared at me before setting off down the hallway. Ron and I walked in the opposite direction and I chanced a glance over at him. He smirked and shook his head at me.

"That was a weak comeback Weasley." I joked.

"I thought it was alright." The rest of our patrol was uneventful and soon we were headed up to the seventh floor. I was a little paranoid from the interaction with Nott and took special care in making sure I wasn't being followed before I entered the Room. Hermione was already there, on the couch glaring into the fire. Having her in a bad mood was really the icing on the cake for the night. I quietly undid my tie and the top couple buttons of my shirt before sitting next to her.

"What's wrong love?" She looked at me and then back to the fire. She shrugged.

"I can never tell these days. Just tell me something, maybe if I stop thinking about being in a bad mood, I'll stop being in a bad mood."

"Well, I think we may be in a spot of bother. Ron and I were rounding tonight and Theodore Nott approached us. He accused me of being a blood traitor and said that word in Slytherin house is that I'm making friends with Ron and Harry, and that I'm bedding you. All true, but, I don't need my housemates knowing that. I might need to start spending some time in my house." Hermione frowned.

"That's not good Draco." She sighed and I nodded in agreement.

"No, it's not good, I'll have to talk to Blaise and Pansy about damage control, they'll be able to help me. If rumours are just kicking up now that's alright too, we only have about a month left of school." She sagged into my side and put her hands over her face. I gently wrapped an arm around her, and rubbed her arm lightly, reassuringly.

"I want all this crap to be over with." She whispered.

"I know Hermione, I do too." I spent the rest of the night comforting my very emotional girlfriend. We decided to meet up with Harry, Ron, Blaise, and Pansy the next day in one of the larger practice rooms and figure out damage control.

"I don't like this…this is very weird." Pansy remarked indicating the odd assortment of people in the room. Blaise rolled his eyes at her.

"No one likes it Pans, but we have to help Draco." She nodded sullenly. Blaise and Pansy came up with a suitable game plan. They decided to undercut the rumor with another one. Since Theo had pissed me off we decided to insinuate that he spent late nights out hanging around Filch; a ridiculous rumour that the Slytherin's would doubtlessly eat up. The Gryffindor's agreed that we should stop meeting up in the Library and only hang out in the Room if possible, limiting sightings of us together, and I just had to watch my back where Nott was concerned.

We were just wrapping up the meeting when Harry made a noise that kind of sounded like and old man reading something he didn't approve of in the newspaper. A kind of tsk mixed with a snort of derision accompanied by a head shake. "Is something the matter Potter?" Blaise asked, pushing up from his slouched position against the wall.

"I just think this is all ridiculous. Why do we all have to be put out so no one knows that Draco isn't always a huge dickhead?"

"A dickhead, really mate," Ron chimed in from the desk he was sitting on. "You know why Draco can't be outed for hanging out with us."

"But it's not our problem is it?" Harry spat back.

"I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience Potter." My voice dripped with venom.

"Stop it you two!" Hermione stepped in between us and threw us both warning glances.

"I won't stop it!" Harry raged. "This idiot parades into our lives and makes us miserable, the only reason I was putting up with him was for you Hermione, but, you've changed you're not the same Hermione I've known since first year. You're some doe-eyed freak who is blindly in love with this blonde git! I've had it!" He was yelling by this point and I quickly pulled Hermione behind me as Harry drew his wand. Ron jumped to his feet and put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"What are you doing mate?" He shrugged Ron's hand off and turned to glare at him.

"You're my friend Ron, not Draco's! I've seen the way you two pal around. Nobody has my back this year; everyone is just falling for Draco. I don't understand what you all see in him!" We had had this exact conversation too many times to count. Harry span back toward me and pointed his wand at my chest. "I've had it with you, absolutely had it!" I went to pull my wand out to defend myself, but dammit if Potter wasn't lightning fast. ****** He uttered a curse I had never before heard in my life and I looked down to see red running down the front of me, huge gashes appearing in my clothes and skin. I grew dizzy at the sight and fell to my knees.

"What have you done?" Hermione's voice was shrill and panicked. "We need to get him to the hospital wing!" I was aware of much commotion around me. Suddenly and unexplainably Snape was there, almost singing a spell over my chest and giving me a disconsolate look as he did so. My head was fuzzy and so was my sight, everything kept blurring in and out of focus as I was levitated from the room. ******

* * *

I awoke to intense pain and gasped in a shocked breath not sure what had happened to me. I looked down at my chest and saw it bandaged and was even more confused. I tried to remember what had happened. We were discussing what to do about the Slytherin's and Harry had gone off. I suddenly felt anger as well as pain as I remembered Harry casting a curse at me. I was going to get him for this. I was gasping in another breath when Madame Pomfrey appeared at the foot of my bed. "Oh good, you're awake! How are you feeling?" She briskly walked to my side and started casting spells and checking things.

"I-I'm fine I guess. I'm in some pain. How did I get here?" She tutted and looked a little angry.

"Do you remember at all what happened to you?"

"I remember Potter casting some hex at me, and that's all I can really remember. I fell when I saw all the blood and then suddenly Snape was there. I don't know anything after that."

"Yes, your friend Pansy came running out of a room and thankfully Professor Snape was right outside. You might not have made it if he hadn't been there." I made a mental note to thank Snape and focused back on Madame Pomfrey. She was changing the dressing on my chest and I gasped when she rolled the gauze back.

"These scars can't be fixed?" I asked. There were loads of what looked like healing rip marks across my chest.

"Unfortunately the spell used against you was rather dark in nature; there is no way to heal something inflicted with such malice completely. We've given you some blood replenishing potion and some potions for pain as well. Miss Granger has been hanging about since before curfew; do you want to see her?"

"Of course I do." She nodded but kept on, spreading some kind of salve over my chest and then re-wrapped it.

"Please take these potions." She instructed pointing to the bedside table where at some point she had prepared potions for me to take. I threw them back quickly and then chugged some water to rid myself of the awful taste. She made a couple of notes on my chart and then turned on her heel. Not long after Hermione appeared at the foot of my bed. Her eyes puffy and her skin pale.

"Are you okay?" Her voice whispered out. I nodded and held a hand out. She skirted the bed and held onto my hand, sitting next to me. "I am so sorry. Something is wrong with Harry."

"It's not your fault." I responded. She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

"He's been talking to me about you. I knew he was coming unhinged. I should have stopped him." I shook my head at her.

"No, this is in no way your fault. I'm okay; I'll be good as new soon just with some new scars. And as an added benefit after this no one will believe Potter and I were ever working together." She tried to laugh but only ended up crying.

"Will you be able to forgive him? He's in with Dumbledore and Snape right now." I shrugged. I was pretty pissed for the time being.

"This was really extreme Hermione. I wouldn't have expected him to do this even if we weren't working together. I don't know how to feel." She nodded.

"It was completely over the line. I would understand if you hated him for this." I tightened my grip on her hand slightly. "Ron wanted to wait with me, but it got too late. He was really worried you know?" I grinned at that.

"Ron really isn't so bad. I think we might actually make good friends." She smiled.

"I'll try Hermione, I'll try to forgive him, but, this was absolutely mental. He has some explaining to do." Again, she nodded. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I was so worried." Her voice cracked and she cried harder.

"Shh, love, it's alright. I'm going to be fine." She nodded. My eyes were drawn to a figure that appeared by the privacy curtains. Professor Snape was looking in worriedly. I beckoned him in. He curled his hands around the metal of the foot of the bed. He looked angrier than I could ever remember seeing him. Hermione tried to ebb her tears and blotted quickly at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Are you alright Draco?" He asked his voice surprisingly gentle and calm. I nodded.

"I hear I have you to thank for that Professor. Thank you." He nodded once, in a clipped motion.

"Potter is being dealt with, this won't go unpunished I assure you. After a thorough examination of Harry's behaviour we have deduced that his mind has been slowly poisoned. I thought we had solved the problem last year, but, he has not been keeping up with his occlumency. We believe Hermione, that through him you were experiencing the mood swings as well. I'd like to teach you how to guard your thoughts." She looked terrified for a minute but nodded. "We have no way to know how much Voldemort might have picked up from this. We should have caught it sooner." There was a biting edge to his voice. "If he knows about you Draco…"

"Then we're in trouble." I concluded.

"Yes, we would be in trouble. I'm going to the manor this weekend. I was due to anyway, he'll be there, and I'll glean what I can."

"Thank you Professor." A curt nod was his response. He looked over to Hermione.

"You'll have to clear out of here soon. You both need rest, and we don't need any more gossip about the pair of you." She made a snuffling noise.

"I know Professor. Thank you for today."

"You're both welcome. I'll come back and check on you in the morning Draco." He looked at us a little oddly before swooping from the room in the peculiar fashion that he had. Hermione let out a breath I hadn't been aware of her holding and sagged a bit. I saw her fighting for breath. I guided her down to my chest and even though it hurt a bit, let her rest against it. I rubbed my hand over her back.

"What if Voldemort is in my head?" She whispered her voice wobbly.

"We'll figure this out love, not to worry." I tried to assure her while feeling anything but sure myself. She stayed for an additional hour or so and then tearfully left my side. I tried to calm my racing mind. Madame Pomfrey offered me a dreamless sleep potion and I took it happily. In seconds I was asleep, however very much not dreamlessly – a dream I hadn't had in months took me over.

 _The dream was Hermione and I laying together and talking, just as it started in summer. "I'm worried." She admitted when we got to the part where it deviated._

 _"I'm worried too." I agreed._

 _"What if he's in my head, what if he can see this?" Hysteria was lacing her voice. I tried everything I knew to comfort her._

 _"He's not here love. He's not in your brain. He can access Harry because of the scar. He has no link to you."_

 _"Then how has he been doing it?"_

 _"I don't know love. Maybe some sort of suggestive mind control, fed to you while you've been talking with Potter. I don't know."_

 _"I'm scared." She was on the verge of crying._

 _"I know love. I'm scared too." The dream started dissolving around me – a sharp pain in my chest causing me to gasp._

I awoke clutching my chest and breathing deeply. As though she had built in radar, Madame Pomfrey appeared and started administering potions and salves. Changing out the dressing and finally putting a hand to my forehead. "You're running a bit of a fever." She declared. "I'll go and get you a breakfast tray if you think you can eat." I nodded. "You'll have to stay here until that fever goes away." She informed me before she clicked off. She returned minutes later with a tray of food. She asked if I needed anything else and when I declined she left and headed for her office. I had just taken a small sip of pumpkin juice and a bite of toast when I felt I was being watched. I looked up and there at the privacy curtain was Harry freaking Potter.

* * *

 **AN: Here we go a chapter I did not think I was going to get up today, but I did! So couple of things here. When Draco says that if they fight again there will be bodily harm. I don't mean they're going to like beat the crap out of each other. More just a passing expression. And when Ron admits that it's come to blows between him and Harry I just mean a little tussle. Also the Slytherin's making up a rumor and being bitchy is pretty in character so don't come for me. I don't know how I thought of Nott fooling around with Filch but it's pretty funny! Also Harry FREAKING Potter! If you haven't watched all three parts of A Very Potter Musical, what are you doing with your life? I'm pretty pleased with this chapter as a whole - don't hate me for making Harry a deranged weirdo!**

 **Big thanks to my reviewers since the last update, I love you so mach! Lovesagoodstory19(Lol! Sorrry! I had more tonight while I was proofreading and it was even better today!), Juliemaggie(Take drugs before, during, and after. Lol! Thanks for corrections!), yikesmyguy(Thank you!), CancerScorpio15(Thanks!), Sarah8088(Lol! It felt weird writing it that way too, I don't normally, but the situation called for it. Thanks!), and pinkduck2587(Thank you!)! You all make my life a little better! :)**

 **I think we all know that I'm crazy enough to do this every chapter. So that little box down there that is empty and lonely...fill it up and submit a review for me! Even if it's like - I feel like Jareth in an Escher painting - I'll still smile because I need to watch Labyrinth right now! So review, fav, and follow! Thanks so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	24. An Honour

24\. An Honour

My hand flew to my bedside table where my wand was, I pointed it at Harry. He put his hands up in a sign of surrender and he slowly walked toward me. "What are you doing here Potter?" I growled out, fighting the extreme impulse to hex him.

"I came to apologize. I'm so sorry Draco! I don't know what came over me."

"This split-personality act of yours is wearing on me Potter." I hissed, still keeping my wand trained on his figure. He stopped moving forward and dropped his hands.

"It hasn't been fun for me either. I remember saying and doing things that I didn't want to say or do. I didn't know what that hex would do, it just popped into my mind. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Well you did. I don't trust you being here. Yesterday you were a maniac casting hexes that carved into my skin and today you're totally normal? I don't buy it."

"Well, I guess I can't be surprised by that. I was working with Professor Dumbledore and Snape for a good portion of the night. Dumbledore gave me this." He held his wrist out, and there was a fine gold chain about it, woven through with blue magic. "It's a protective charm, until I can handle this on my own. I'm going back into lessons with Snape to improve my ability to shut outside forces out. I'm sorry Draco, please believe that I am." He sounded a little hollow, and fragile. But, this was the boy that landed me in the Hospital Wing yesterday, who had been screwing with Hermione's mind as well. All because he couldn't figure out that Voldemort was in his brain.

"Thanks for coming to apologize, but, I don't accept. I'm going to be marked by that curse forever, and you've toyed with Hermione as well. Maybe your friends can forgive you, but, you need to earn my trust back, and right now you don't have it." His eyes flicked down and I saw a frown cross his face. He looked back up and nodded.

"That's fair enough. I'll leave you be for now." He made to leave but then turned back and spoke again. "If I've compromised you and your mother, I'll never forgive myself." He briskly left after the statement and I flopped back, releasing the unknown tense posture I was in. I resumed eating my breakfast and thought over what Harry had said to me. I felt my eyes growing heavy after I finished eating and let sleep overtake me, knowing I would dream about Hermione. It seemed very brief, and in this dream we did not talk, just held each other, much like very first night I had dreamed the dream. Soon my eyes were blinking open and Madame Pomfrey was quietly moving about me, checking things. She gave me a kind smile when she saw I was awake.

"I bet you're feeling better after something to eat and a nap." I nodded, still a little disoriented upon waking. "The good news is that your fever seems to have let up, and after I give you some potions you'll be free to go." I nodded and paid attention as she gave me several vials of potion and told me when to take what for the next couple of days. "I want you to come back and see me at least once a day to change those dressings. Either before or after class I'll leave that up to you. Please make sure you get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated while your body heals, okay?"

"I will Madame Pomfrey. Thank you for your excellent care." She smiled at the compliment.

"I take my job seriously Mister Malfoy." There was a joking tone to her voice. "You may leave when you're ready. I've excused you from classes tomorrow, you can go if you feel up to it, but, if you need more rest, please take it." I nodded and got to my feet. Someone at some point had changed me into the Hospital Pajamas and left me a fresh pair of clothes, folded neatly on the chair next to the bed. I quickly changed and grabbed up the potions I would need before leaving the hospital wing. I saw Blaise approaching as I was leaving.

"Draco, are you alright mate? I was just coming to see you."

"I'm okay." Blaise hurried over to me and took the bag of potions from me like I was an invalid.

"Yesterday was absolutely wild! I can't believe Harry went crazy like that!" Without me needing to say Blaise steered us up toward the Seventh floor. "It's really helped you out from a Slytherin standpoint though. Nobody believes Potter would do that if you were friendly, or friends with any of his friends. And if they do none of their parents would listen."

"What a silver lining." I muttered. Blaise smirked at me. We eventually made it up to the Seventh floor and to the Room. It was empty and I gratefully sank into the couch; my chest bothering me a little. Blaise noticed me gently rubbing my hand over my chest.

"Do you want me to get that prick?" He asked. His voice turned dark. I appreciated him a lot in that moment. I shook my head no.

"It won't solve anything. I'm not sure it was one hundred percent his fault either. Will you stay with me until Hermione gets here?" I asked.

"Of course I will mate." He set the potions he was carrying down on the table and sat on the opposite end of the couch from me. "Are you and Hermione trying to open up a second Library?" He asked looking at the books we had strewn across the room.

"We've been researching all kinds of obscure magic, and theories all year. Every time we think we have things figured out they get cocked up again. I don't want to talk about me or the attack or anything Golden Trio related at the moment. How are things with Luna?" I asked. Blaise's face lit up and he launched into endless tales about how intelligent, beautiful and perfect she was. I smiled listening to him, happy that he had found someone that could hold his attention. He finished up talking about her and must've noticed I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

"Just sleep mate, I won't take it personally." He kept jabbering on, about what I wasn't sure. I felt my eyes grow heavier and heavier, finally closing and falling off into the standard Hermione dream. I woke up to hear a hushed conversation occurring. I picked out the voices as Hermione and Blaise. He was telling her I had been asleep for a couple of hours, she was asking him how I seemed to be doing. He was assuring her I was okay. I blinked my eyes fully open and then turned to see them conferring behind me. "I was just going to leave, I'll see you later Draco." Blaise gave me a wave, seeing that I was awake again. Hermione's eyes snapped to me. She waved Blaise off and came to sit next to me.

"Are you okay love?" She asked. I was getting a little annoyed that that was all anyone was asking me today. I nodded.

"I'm starving and I have to go to the bathroom, but, otherwise I'm okay." I pushed up from the couch and headed for the bathroom, quickly taking care of business and sitting back down. I reached for the bag of potions and took two of them, one for pain, and one to aide with healing, before sitting back on the couch. Hermione produced a basket of food from seemingly nowhere and I smiled gratefully at her.

"I figured you might be hungry, so I stopped in at the kitchens on my way back up here. I've been training with Professor Snape all afternoon. He's very skilled, isn't he?" I nodded; too busy scarfing down food to add much to the conversation. "I'm feeling much better now too. Harry always complained about his occlumeny lessons with Snape, but I find them fascinating, and helpful." She sat back and watched me eat for a bit. I gradually became full and put the basket down, flopping back and looking at Hermione. "Did he come by to see you today?" I knew she was talking about Potter. I nodded.

"He apologized and said he didn't mean to do it. I haven't forgiven him Hermione." She nodded. "I believe he's sorry but he isn't trustworthy right now. He never should have stopped training with Snape until he was competent in Occlumency. He had to have realised how dangerous having his mind open would be." Hermione sighed and ran her hands over her face.

"You're right. I'm not completely over yesterday either. This has been a really rough couple of days." I nodded. She held her hand out to me and I took it easily, she pulled me gently closer, and I laid down, my head on her lap. Her fingers slid soothingly through my hair with one hand while the other lay gently on my chest. "I love you." She whispered. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." I covered the hand that was on my chest and looked up at her.

"I know we make it through this. I've seen it in my dreams. I just don't know what else we will face along the way." Her eyes filled with tears, which silently fell from her face and landed on her shirt. I sat up and brushed my thumbs under her eyes. "Don't cry love, we'll be alright." She pressed closer to me and laid her lips over mine. The kiss conveyed a great want to me, a great need, but a need for comfort and security rather than a need for passion. I drew her gently closer, deepening the kiss and encircling her in my arms. We gently went from kissing to a clinging embrace, my body feeling whole for the first time since I had been hexed. My energy was feeding off of hers and vice versa. After a time she pulled back, she pressed her lips once more to mine and sighed.

"I should be the strong one right now. You need me and I'm being weak."

"None of that matters Hermione. You're not weak, and even if you were, we are a team. We work together." She nodded. She positioned herself in the corner of the couch and beckoned me over. I laid my back against her chest and felt her arms come around me. The rest of the night was spent wrapped together, discussing the future and drawing strength from one another.

* * *

Time was going by quickly. It had been around a month since Potter had attacked me, and we had gotten to the bottom of his mood swings. Hermione had taken to occlumency wonderfully, and was completely back to normal. Harry was still taking lessons with Snape, he was doing better, he was fine if he had on the protective bracelet, he was still prone to moodiness when he didn't wear it. I was still trying to trust him, but, it was hard. Snape had reported that everything seemed normal when he had met with Voldemort, but, he wasn't exactly and open book. For the time being we were sticking to our plan of action. It was late at night on June twenty-ninth when I got a message from Dumbledore, asking me to please meet him in his office before classes the next morning. So, I went to bed early and woke up early, getting ready for the day before stopping by Dumbledore's office. He had supplied me with the password in his note. I knocked on the door when I got to the top of the spiralling staircase and was told to enter. I was surprised that Snape was there as well. "You wanted to see me Professor?" I asked.

"Ah, Draco my dear boy, please come in, and sit!" Dumbledore gestured toward a chair in front of his desk. I sat and looked between Snape and Dumbledore curiously. "Tonight is the night Draco. I'll be going on a trip with Harry tonight. I believe I've found the location of a horcrux, when I return we will enact our plan." I looked at the old man and felt and odd feeling of grief clutch at me. Words tumbled around in my head, but, I couldn't figure out what to say. "Don't worry Draco; all is as it should be. Humans aren't meant to live forever, and this curse has taken its toll on me." I blinked hard several times trying to figure out how he was sitting there talking about dying like it was okay. I felt Snape's hand on my arm. My eyes snapped to his.

"It's okay Draco; it's going to be okay." I realized then that I was hyper-ventilating. It was only becoming real that I was turning my back on the dark side in that moment. There was no going back after today. I would never see Dumbledore alive again after today, and Snape would be branded a heinous villain.

"I can't – How can I do this?" The sentence was a struggle. Dumbledore was regarding me kindly.

"You've come so far this year Draco, you've adapted and thrived and I have every faith in you. You just have this last hurdle to jump and you'll be in the clear."

"It's been an honour to know you sir." I felt choked up for some reason. I saw one glint of sadness flicker in his eyes.

"I know you are going to go on the do great things - both of you." Dumbledore looked between Snape and I. "Just prepare yourself for tonight. I don't expect you to go to class today. There are more important things to be done." Snape and I both stood, understanding the dismissal. "Professor Snape please come and see me after you are done arranging things with Draco." Snape nodded and looked over at me. I took a step toward Dumbledore and held out my hand. He took it softly. I couldn't understand why I was feeling so sad over him.

"I'll never have the words to thank you for all you've done for me this year."

"No need to thank me dear boy. I'll see you later on tonight and for now I shall say good-bye." I sniffed and blinked back my unexpected tears. Snape and I exited the room.

"Are you alright Draco?" Snape asked as we hit the landing. I shrugged.

"How is he so calm about this?"

"He's had months to sit and think about what's happening to him. As he said no one lives forever."

"I'm sorry you have to do this sir."

"It's for the greater good. You should go pack up your things and leave them in the care of Hermione. She'll get everything back to you. And then I need you to meet me in the Entrance at nine o'clock. If I were you I would get all of my emotions out about this now, when we meet up with your Aunt and Mother you need to your mask in place." I nodded knowing that I couldn't show my emotions around the Death Eaters that would be with us.

"Thank you. For everything you've done for me this year. For everything you will do tonight because I couldn't. It means a lot to me." Something flickered in Snape's eyes.

"I would do the same thing a thousand times over. You've become a fine young man Draco, and I like to think I was even a small part of making that happen." My eyes filled and I looked to the floor. Snape placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked up and he levelled a stare at me. "There are many things in my life I wish I could change. Many things that I regret, but, I will never regret helping you. Don't be sad or afraid. Dumbledore and I have known this was coming for almost a year now, and we're both fully aware of how things will change. Things will go according to plan tonight and you and your mom will be safe. Try to focus on that." I nodded and blinked a couple of time clearing the tears.

"I'll make sure that people know you were fighting for our side when this is all over." He smiled a sad smile.

"I appreciate that. Now, off you go, you have a lot to do before the end of the day." I nodded and turned away from Snape. I walked off down the hall and prayed that Hermione would have left for breakfast already as I paced in front of the wall. I opened the door when it appeared and pushed inside. Hermione emerged from the bathroom as I entered and her eyes went wide.

"What's wrong Draco?" She asked, hurrying over to me. I shook my head.

"I can't tell you. I'll be leaving Hogwarts tonight. I need to go and pack my things. I'll leave them here with you, please bring them with you." She nodded but looked confused. "I wish I could tell you everything…"

"Please Draco, you know you can." I shook my head again and harder. I backed away when she went to touch me.

"I can't have an attachment happen today. And if you touch me I'm sure it will. Because I wish I could just hide in here with you. I wish it so badly. Things are going to happen tonight. I need you to promise me you'll be safe, and I need you to promise that you won't be mad at me, no matter what you hear."

"Draco this is crazy! Why would I be mad! Please talk to me love!"

"Something horrible will happen and it will look like I was involved, but it's all planned. That's all I can tell you. I can't see you for a couple of days, not until you came to the Weasley's this summer."

"I'll come there straight from here. I'll apparate there as soon as I'm off school grounds. Hermione had passed her exam back in April. I was still waiting to turn seventeen. They'll have some strict wards up I'm sure, but I'll write to Molly and see how to get past them. "Please tell me what's happening." She begged.

"I would tell you if I could, but I cannot. You need to go if you're going to make breakfast. I'll see you soon love. Please, please take care of yourself. I'll die if anything happens to you."

"I promise I'll be careful, you too. I need you." I nodded. My eyes filled with tears again. I chanced one kiss, that was desperate and clinging before stepping back and waving a concerned looking Hermione out of the room.

* * *

 **AN: I'm not crying, you are. This was a toughie to write. There is nothing sadder to me than when someone knows they are going to die. I've had personal experience with terminal illnesses and it's heartbreaking. I also hate goodbyes even if they are fictional. But shit is finally happening, how are ya'll feeling about that?**

 **I'll thank my wonderful, amazing, talented, and most likely good looking reviewers now ;)! Juliemaggie(Labyrinth is everything, gimmie David Bowie in way too tight pants any day! You should go watch AVPM it's all on youtube and totally worth it!), Lovesagoodstory19(Yeah, I don't think I'll ever describe at length something like that. I will however keep in my warning system for violence and blood cause some people aint about that. Sorry about your sitr-fry. I take full responsibility.), Nerd Mom Writer(Hopefully you're still reading and enjoying!), artfully(hope I kept you interested past chapter 2! Thank you!), pinkduck2587(Totally agree Harry is a breath away from darkness in cannon!), and CancerScorpio15(Thank you!)! Ya'll make my day bearable sometimes :)**

 **So I know you've seen this about 20 odd times now. I. Will. Never. Quit! Type some stuff into the box below and submit for me to read! Even if you just say - No, I'm not crying because this wasn't terribly sad. - I'll slightly disagree but have mad respect for your tear ducts. So review, fav, and follow my lovelies! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	25. My Man

**AN: There is a character death in this chapter. You had to have known she was coming.**

* * *

25\. My Man

The rest of the day blurred past. I packed up all of my stuff and said goodbye to my school life as I knew it. I lugged everything up to the Room and refined my emotions down to something manageable. Before I knew it eight thirty hit and I started making my way down to the entrance of the school. I ignored the melancholy at the back of my mind that was poking me, reminding me that I wouldn't be back here for a long time if at all. I finally spotted Professor Snape and walked toward him.

"Good evening Draco, are you all ready to go?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I nodded. We walked from the school and started the trek to the edge of the barrier. Too soon we saw the figures of my Aunt Bellatrix, my Mother and a couple other Death Eaters. I was shocked to see they had brought Fenrir Greyback with them. My Aunt Bellatrix was smiling manically and bouncing on the spot.

"Good evening boys!" She sounded as excited as she looked.

"Good evening Bellatrix." Snape's voice was as calm as ever. "Let's get this started shall we?" Everyone fell into line and we made our way back up to the school. My Mother came to walk next to me and took my hand gently. I didn't know where we were headed but as soon as we were in the school the Death Eaters started laughing. Tasting victory I was sure. We traipsed through the school toward the Astronomy Tower. We heard a commotion happening down the hall.

"Go on up Draco, take care of that old git, we'll make sure you're not interrupted." Bellatrix's lip curled up and I could see her teeth glistening as she talked. I nodded and started taking the stairs two at a time. Dumbledore was standing alone when I arrived at the top of the tower.

"Good evening Draco." I was as surprised by him as I had been earlier, he was so calm. There was something wrong with him though. He seemed to be having trouble staying upright.

"I think the order is here." I commented. He nodded. "What happens now?"

"Now, you threaten me Draco, they'll be up here soon." I sighed and cast an expelliarmus, snatching his wand from the air. I heard a clattering behind me.

"I have to do this." I uttered. I pointed my wand at him. Just then my Aunt Bella, Greyback, Snape, and my Mother appeared. Bella laughed hysterically.

"You've got him cornered Draco! Finish him!" Bella cried wildly.

"You're not a killer Draco. I think deep down you know that. How did you manage to get these Death Eaters in, I'm surprised that you would let Greyback into the school." Dumbledore shot a look at the deranged werewolf that accompanied us.

"I didn't know he'd be here. Snape and I have been working together under your nose, all year." Dumbledore looked to Snape, seemingly hurt.

"Enough talk! Kill him!" My Aunt demanded. My hand wavered.

"You're better than this Draco, I can help you." Dumbledore's voice shook slightly. He looked to Snape. "Please," he uttered. Professor Snape walked over to me and pushed my hand down. He raised his wand and looked Dumbledore dead in the eye. I saw a split second glint of remorse before he uttered the killing curse and ended Dumbledore. Dumbledore flew back and off of the tower, his body limp, like a rag doll. I couldn't breathe. I walked to the edge and looked down. He was just a prone form lying in a heap. I wanted to vomit. I placed his wand on the ground and turned to the rest of the people present. My Aunt was laughing like a banshee, Greyback was smiling, Snape was unreadable, and my Mother was looking at me.

"Well, we did it, let's go!" Bellatrix started off down the stairs and we all followed. We immediately were embroiled in a fight at the bottom of the staircase. Snape took my arm and hurried my Mother and me past the commotion.

"The Weasley twins are going to grab you. He said in an undertone, they know the secrets of this school better than most. They'll get you two out of here." We kept along at a fast clip, I tried not to take notice of what was happening around me as people I had known my whole life fought each other. Suddenly, my Mother was grabbed, and I was taken seconds later. We were brought into a secret passage and then pulled along quickly and quietly by the matching forms of Fred and George. Once they had transitioned us from one secret passage to another, and through one more, they finally slowed down a bit. "I never would imagined a scenario like this." Fred or George said trying to break the tension. "Do you need a break Missus Malfoy or can we keep going?"

"I'm alright, thank you." They both nodded and we kept walking. We finally ended up in a passage I recognized and I knew we would break through to the seventh floor soon. We ended up close to the Headmaster's office and gained entrance easily enough. We all hurried up and grabbed up some floo powder. I just had time to take in the office one last time before one of the twins pulled me into the green flames, calling out a location. Wherever we landed we did not stay long. We apparated outside of a modest, cottage, the twins pulled us easily through a barrier, and once inside the house I knew where we were.

"Cissa! Draco! Thank goodness you're alright!" My Aunt Andromeda stood from where she was sitting. I looked at my Mother, her face was unreadable.

"Andromeda?" She asked at length. The sisters walked towards each other, and after a moment of regarding each other, collapsed into each other's arms. My Mother pulled me into the hug, and I awkwardly allowed it. Everyone pulled back eventually.

"I've been so worried all night." Andromeda said, pressing a hand to my face.

"You know each other?" My Mother asked. I nodded.

"She helped with my attachment magic back in December. We've been to see her a couple of times since."

"We…who is it Draco, surely you can tell me now." I took a deep breath. My Aunt gave me an encouraging nod.

"It's Hermione Granger. We got attached at the start of the school year." Her eyes widened.

"Granger…" Her voice faded off, I couldn't tell what she thought of it. I remembered the twins and looked to see them standing behind us, looking confused.

"We have been instructed to leave you here Narcissa, but, Draco needs to come with us." I nodded.

"No need to worry Draco, I'll take good care of your Mother." My Aunt assured me. I nodded knowing she would.

"Hopefully I'll be able to see you soon." I told them. I hugged them each separately. "I love you." I told my Mother sincerely. She took my face in her hands, her eyes a little misty.

"I love you too son." I walked over to the twins and we headed out of the house. Once out of the barrier we apparated again. I got pulled through another barrier and saw and amazing structure. It looked like it had once been a small house, and then had had some haphazard additions slapped on. It kind of looked like once strong gust of wind would send the place toppling.

"Welcome to the Burrow Malfoy." The twins said in tandem.

"Come on in, we'll introduce you to the parents, and show you where you'll be staying. Oh, I'm nervous George; I wonder what they'll think of him!"

"It is always scary bringing your boyfriend home for the first time Fred. Just imagine how much worse this would be if we were Hermione." The twins threw me looks and I tried to gauge what the jokes meant.

"I mean you could just spare Hermione the embarrassment and claim that I'm dating one of you. Once I can tell you two apart I'm game to play along." They hooted out laughs. The one on the left said he was Fred and the one on the right said he was George, and we spent the walk across the grass discussing which one would be more believable for me to date. We entered the house and immediately I felt this was someplace comforting. It was haphazard and messy, but, very embracing. Missus Weasley bustled in from another room.

"Oh, there you boys are! I was beginning to worry!"

"Mom, I'm not sure if you've met my boyfriend, Draco." George declared with a straight face. She threw her sons a look and shook her head.

"Welcome to the Burrow love. Don't mind these two, they're absolutely ridiculous sometimes."

"Thank you for having me Missus Weasley."

"Please, call me Molly. I'll let your 'boyfriend' show you to the room you'll be staying in, and then I've got some dinner ready if you think you can eat." Fred followed his Mother through into what I assumed was the kitchen while George beckoned me up the stairs.

"You're staying in our Brother Percy's old room, Mum has it all set up, there's extra space in there for when Hermione gets here." We had only gone up a floor, George opened the door to a room and gestured me in. "Fred and I are just across the hall in case you have bad dreams and need a cuddle." He threw a ridiculous grin at me. "You know Malfoy, when I heard that all this was going on I was skeptical. I'm willing to let you prove yourself, and so is the rest of our family. Just know that if you are screwing us over, or if you upset Hermione, you'll be in a world of hurt." I was not unused to hearing this statement.

"I won't be letting anyone down, but I do like a good threat." George laughed.

"Come on you git, let's get something to eat!" We trundled back down the stairs and into the kitchen. I sat at the huge table and obediently started eating the food Molly set in front of me. The food was amazing, better than I would have believed. We were part way through eating when Professor Lupin hurried into the Burrow.

"You need to get up to Hogwarts; Bill has been injured quite badly." He declared sternly and without preamble. "Dumbledore is dead." Dropping bombs left and right the kitchen was in utter silence after the statement. The three Weasley's got to their feet and made to leave with Lupin. George seemed to remember me just before he left.

"Are you okay by yourself here Malfoy?" I nodded. And then I was alone, in a house I'd never been in, in a situation anyone would have a hard time explaining. I got up and started cleaning up the kitchen, putting the leftover food away and cleaning the dishes. I'm sure I didn't do the job justice, but, I needed to make sure I made a good impression on the Weasley's. I went back up the stairs to the room I would be staying in and flopped on the bed. Exhaustion from the day overtook me and I fell into a fitful sleep. My dream was as ever, Hermione and I laying together, not speaking. I awoke when I heard voices in the lower level of the house. I groggily blinked my eyes open and pushed up off of the bed. I went to the door and listened to the voices. It sounded like Mister and Missus Weasley and the twins were back, along with another voice, I was unsure who it belonged to. I debated just going back to sleep, or getting up and facing the people who had taken me in. I sighed and opened the door, descending and finding the kitchen packed with ginger haired Weasley's. Everyone's eyes snapped to me as I entered.

"I think you have some explaining to do Draco." Molly was using a mom voice on me. I nodded and went to sit at the table with the rest of them. "What happened up on that tower?" I fidgeted in my seat. I wasn't sure exactly what I could say and what I couldn't. "We've heard Harry's version of events, but I want to hear yours."

"Harry wasn't there?" I questioned. Apparently he had been. Dumbledore had cast him in a body bind and covered him in his invisibility cloak.

"He said that you and Dumbledore talked, it seemed like it was all planned out, and you drew your wand at his bidding and disarmed him. From there Harry got a little heated and unintelligible - something about Snape killing Dumbledore." Getting filled in a bit more by George I nodded.

"I don't really know where to start, and I don't know what I can say. Early in the school year I went to Dumbledore and asked for his help. He agreed to help my Mother and I escape the Death Eaters." I rolled up my sleeve on my left arm, exposing my biggest secret. "I was branded and tasked over the summer; it was my job to kill Dumbledore. Dumbledore was cursed, and his health was failing, he was going to die anyway. Snape said he would kill him in my stead. Everything was planned out by Snape and Dumbledore. They knew how tonight would play out, I promise you that." A stunned silence fell over the table.

"Dumbledore guaranteed we could trust you Draco." Mister Weasley spoke from the end of the table. "I have no reason to doubt Dumbledore, and therefore have no reason to doubt you. I wish I understood the situation better." I shrugged unwilling to say more.

"It had to be done this way. That's what I was told."

"And Snape, where do his loyalties lie?" The red head I didn't know spoke up. He had long hair and piercings, he looked a little wild. I shrugged, again I would not say, information about Snape being leaked would not help him.

"I don't really know. Today has been disorienting." There were nods around the table.

"This is our Brother Charlie, by the way." I think George said. Charlie nodded.

"Sorry, yes, nice to meet you Draco." He stood and offered me his hand. I rose and shook it, amazed at the roughness of his palms. Everyone kept chattering late into the night. I felt myself fading; Molly noticed and got up from the table.

"Can I talk to you please Draco?" I nodded and followed her out into the Living Room. She rounded on me and regarded me carefully. "It's been a hard day for you today, hasn't it?" I blinked a couple of times surprised at the softness in her tone. I nodded.

"It's been a long day, and very stressful." She placed a motherly hand on my shoulder.

"I suspect you've only told us a portion of the truth, and that's fine. I'm so sorry you've had to go through today." My eyes pricked and fought my tear ducts desperately. "It's late now, you should get some sleep. It'll be a couple of days until Hermione can be here, but I want you to consider this place home. I noticed that you cleaned up after dinner that was very sweet." A single failing teardrop escaped my eyes. She drew me into her arms and I had no fight in me to resist.

"Go to bed pet, you did well today." She tightened the hug for a moment and then waved me off to the stairs. I felt her eyes on my back as I climbed the rickety staircase. I closed the door to my room behind me and slid down it. I tried to fight the grief that wanted to overthrow me, knowing that if I started to cry stopping would be futile. I took a deep breath in and pushed up off the floor and onto the bed, falling into sleep again.

* * *

It had been three whole days since I had seen Hermione and I was starting to feel the effects of the attachment magic hitting. I had made fast and surprisingly good friends with George and spent a fair amount of time chumming about with him and Fred. They were fair flyers so we had mini games of Quidditch and they were teaching me how to degnome the garden, a task which was equally entertaining and banal. The days went by achingly slowly and supremely fast somehow. I was out in the garden reading on my second night at the Burrow when I saw someone pass through the protective barrier around the house. Not just any someone, my someone. I got to my feet and ran towards her, she dropped the numerous bags she was carrying and hurtled toward me. I caught her up in a hug and held her tightly to my body. She peppered my face with kisses and then drew back studying me. I set her down gently and did the same. She appeared unharmed. "I've missed you." I said, taking in her face like I hadn't seen her in years.

"I've missed you too love! I was so worried about you." She collapsed back onto my chest a clung to me like her life depended on it. I felt our energies vibrating happily at being back together and I smiled.

"Oi now, what's all this? I thought you were my man Malfoy." George came out of the house smiling and walked toward us. Hermione raised an eyebrow at me, but let go of me to give George a hug.

"Sorry George, I'm not fond of sharing." She stated simply before falling back to hold my hand.

"Well George, it was fun while it lasted, but you heard the witch." He held back a laugh and focused on looking hurt.

"I thought I meant more to you than that." I reached out and patted his shoulder.

"I feel sure you'll get over it."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. You better keep an eye on your guy Hermione, or else I'm swooping in to steal him." His face cracked at that and we both started laughing. Hermione looked amused but perplexed. "Well come on Hermione, you know mum will want to see you!" He headed into the house and Hermione gave me a curious look.

"That's a long story. You go ahead inside; I'll collect up our belongings." She smiled and nodded, heading into the Burrow. I walked slowly to where she had dropped her bags and scooped them up, heading into the place that in no time at all, had become home.

* * *

 **AN: Heylo! Uhhhh this chapter is something isn't it? It's a got a different tone that the previous chapters, I wrote it that way on purpose. I feel like it's a but clipped and scattered. But being that it's from Draco's POV I'm saying it makes sense. Does anyone else find it bizarre that parents will call their boys son - like - I love you son! - but they don't do that with girls. Like you never hear someone say 'I love you daughter." Am I alone in that one? So, if you've read any of my other works you might know that I LOVE George Weasley. Like a lot. I like him a lot more than Fred, and if he was real, I would make him love me. Lol! So, anytime I can work him or both of the twins into a plot I do. And I want to thank my fingers for the way they wrote Molly. She is like mom level 1000. I feel like no way could she see a youngster hurting and just brush it off, regardless of who he is. I might have had the ensemble be a little too nice to Draco, but, that's just the way it goes I guess... Annnyway this is getting pretty long.**

 **I'll take this time to thank my precious reviewers! Lovesagoodstroy19(Yeah, I've been in Vancouver during winter. That's defs why you were crying!), JulieMaggie(Oh no! I hope you feel better! I caught two mistakes. Annnnd what do you think of AVPM?), pinkduck2587(Drama is my middle name :P Thanks!)! Ya'll are amazing and I'm very fond of our intrigues together. Props if you know what that's referenced from!**

 **So, can you please leave me a review? Please! It's easy all ya gotta do it write in that box below and type something, preferably what you thought about the chapter, but pretty much anything will do. Liiike - It's the final countdown! Dun nunuh nuhnuhnuhnuh -Because terribly I sometimes think of that song when Dumbledore goes flying off the astronomy tower. But, you didn't need to know that...sorry. Haha! So review, fav, and follow! Thanks so much for reading! And if you read this entire AN props to you she was a long one.**

 **~WS**


	26. Barny and Barry

26\. Barny and Barry

To say that the burrow was stuffed with people would be an understatement, it was getting down to the wedding and all of the family was crammed here, there, and everywhere. As such I spent a majority of my time out of doors, keeping out of the ay as much as possible; Molly had a to-do list acres long and the chaos was overwhelming. There had been some debate over Harry and me attending the wedding, and after much deliberation it was decided that we would take poly-juice potion and pose as Weasley cousins, twin cousins. As such we needed to collaborate on our back stories, should anyone ask. That was how the afternoon before the wedding found us awkwardly sat across from each other on the ground in the yard. Harry had been avoiding me at all costs since he had arrived at the Burrow, and I gladly let him.

For the most part my summer up until that point had been hanging out with Hermione, pulling hijinks with George, Fred, and Ron, helping out with chores around the Burrow, and more recently trying to distract George from the fact that he was missing an ear, a truth that he took to better than I would have. But now I was forced to collaborate with the boy who had cursed me weeks prior. Harry was looking down at the grass picking at it and refusing to make eye contact. I sighed and leant back on my hands, looking up to the sky, praying for patience. The action somehow spurred Potter into speaking.

"Listen Malfoy, or err, Draco – Listen Draco, I'm sorry about the whole cursing you and Voldemort being inside my head thing. I know I've already apologized, and I really don't blame you for being angry still. But, we are going to spending a whole lot of time together. We need to work through this." I didn't disagree, but he kind of scared me now. I felt like I could never know if he was about to go crazy. "I've been working hard on my occlumency, and I know everyone can see the difference, I'm not acting erratic, or being over dramatic, and I don't need the bracelet anymore." Not that it worked after Dumbledore had died anyway. I brought my eye-line down from the sky to look at Harry. I supposed he was right. There were a ton of warning signs the last time he was being taken over. They all had seemed to dissipate. There had been something in his eyes when Voldemort had been toying with him, something…not right, that appeared to be gone.

"Alright Potter, I can agree that you seem changed. I'll try my best to get past the fact that you tried to kill me. But, I'll be watching you Potter; I'll be watching you closely." He nodded sullenly. "I guess I know how you must have felt now when we were all coming to terms with the attachment. I'll try to trust you, but, I'm watching you is not super reassuring." I smirked.

"No, it isn't. Now shall we focus on the task at hand? We are supposed to be working on backstory here. So you're Barny and I'm Barry Weasley. Arthur's older Brother Ben is our father, and we didn't attend Hogwarts because…" Harry thought for a moment and shrugged.

"We didn't go to Hogwarts because our parents moved the family to Russia when we were nine, and we attended Koldovstoretz instead." Apparently in fourth year Hermione had done an extensive study on other magical schools, having been fascinated by Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. "We moved there because our Mother, Bonnie, was unwell and the only doctor specialized in her illness worked in Russia."

"I only spot one problem there Harry. Have you ever been to Russia?" He shook his head. "Neither have I. I've been to Ukraine once, which is pretty close, but, people would expect us to know some of the dialect, or know anything in fact about Russian culture. Let's say instead that we went to Ilvermorny. We both know English quite well; my American accent is pretty passable if it's needed. We can both say that we were sorted into Wampus house." Harry nodded.

"Well, let's tweak why we moved there too then. We moved to America because Mother wanted to star on Broadway." I laughed at the narrative Harry was setting up. "She never did achieve her goal, as she fell ill, but, we stayed in America until we were done schooling anyway. Now, we've just moved back to England and are hoping to find jobs in our respective fields. Barny wants to be a journalist."

"I think that Barry wants to be a potioneer. I can easily babble on about potions for a while." We spent the rest of the afternoon coming up with little anecdotes and stories from our 'childhood' abroad, and only stopped when Hermione came out to call us to dinner. It was of course, Harry's birthday and part of the reason I had been instructed to take him outside, and to the other side of the house was so that the family could set up a birthday dinner for Harry.

"Okay boys, dinner is ready, let's head in!" Hermione stopped just short of where we were. Harry and I got our feet and I easily took Hermione's hand as we walked back to the house. We fell a little behind Harry. "That looked like it was going alright?" I nodded.

"I'm doing my best Hermione." She smiled and lifted our hands, kissing the back of mine quickly before dropping them again. "We've got fully fleshed out back-stories for tomorrow. It's probably wholly unnecessary, but, I was glad to do a task for Molly that didn't involve manual labour." Just then we rounded the corner of the house and there was an eruption of 'Happy Birthday Harry!' from all in attendance. Dinner went by quickly and we had a few hours to ourselves before Ron and Harry wanted to see us after dark. The Minister for Magic had shown up and given items to trio and it needed to be discussed, apparently. I had been hidden out of sight when the minister was there, not wanting word of where I was to travel. Hermione and I decided to go for an evening walk around the grounds. The Burrow really was in an ideal location, there was lots of land, a beautiful garden, and it bordered on a forest. We had a bit of clearance within the protective barrier into the forest and Hermione and I often walked there. It was the only place that afforded even a shred of privacy. Hermione was quiet as we walked through the canopy of trees. I stopped walking and pulled her toward me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just…feeling anxious I guess. The future is so uncertain." I nodded.

"We just need to stick together and we can get through this Hermione. I know we will." She stepped closer and looked up into my eyes. Her hand slid up to cup my cheek before she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. I could sense neediness in the exchange. I backed her toward a tree and planted my hands on either side of her, kissing her heatedly. I drew slightly back from her and cast my hearing beyond our breathing, checking to see if there was anything to indicate we weren't alone. I heard nothing and saw nothing, I looked back to Hermione, and she was looking at me hungrily. "You really want to do this here?" I asked she shrugged.

"It's been awhile." It had been. It had been since before I left school, generally we didn't have time to think about it. Molly kept us busy, and the house was always crawling with people. I took another look around before I pulled Hermione deeper into the trees. I found a rather wide tree and sat behind it, pulling Hermione to straddle me. She braced her hands on the tree on either side of my head and leant in, kissing me again. Thankfully she had chosen to wear a skirt that day, which would make things infinitely easier. I ran my hands gently up and down the sides of her body, my hands pushed between the fabric of her shirt and her skin. Slowly they rose up and unhooked her bra; I pulled it down slightly and circled her nipples with my thumbs. She shivered and hummed simultaneously at the feeling. We continued to kiss as I worked my hands skillfully over her breasts. Her hands slid from either side of my head to rest on my shoulders, she used it as leverage to grind against me. I growled low in my throat. I dropped my hands to rest on her things and pulled back to breathe. Her eyes were pure fire and drank me in hungrily. My hands deftly undid the button and zip on my pants, I moved the fabric of my boxers down just enough to get free. Hermione rose onto her knees, her hand disappearing up her skirt and staying there as she positioned herself over me. She sank onto my length and removed her hand. I groaned at the feeling, I had missed this more than I realized.

"Wait, wait." I breathed. I slid my wand out of my pocket and flicked it between us. "That's the last thing we need." She nodded but started moving against me again. Her hand slid between us and she started playing her hand back and forth over herself. I found it insanely hot, and my hand slid back up to play with her chest. Neither of us lasted too long, Hermione cresting first and me moments later. She collapsed onto my shoulder and breathed heavily for a couple a minutes. My arms came around her and I sighed happily at the feeling of Hermione encompassing me. I brought my hands to her head, threading into her hair and directed her mouth for a kiss. She kissed me back lightly before pushing back altogether and standing. I pushed up too, and we fixed our clothes I cast a scourgify on our clothes as they had gotten a little dirty in our romp. We had just finished fixing ourselves when I heard our names being called. I smirked at Hermione and grabbed her hand heading toward the voice. George was wandering in the forest, calling out.

"Oh, there you two are." He said when we stepped into view. "Not up to anything naughty I hope." He looked at us sternly. I arranged my features to look innocent.

"Of course not Georgie, I would never cheat on you." He bust out a laugh and rolled his eyes at me.

"Hermione's face is telling me a different story." I looked over at her and she was blushing fiercely. "Oooh, imagine if I had come looking for you just minutes earlier! I would have been scarred for life!" Hermione got even redder if possible. I elbowed her side gently and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's alright love; George won't say anything about this. Will you?" I asked and gave him a pointed look. He grinned.

"My lips are sealed. Mom wanted to lock up for the night and no one knew where you were, so I offered to come looking. I'll just tell everyone I found you strolling together in the forest." Her face was slowly fading from red to pink and she heaved in a deep breath before nodding her thanks at George. "Come on love birds, in we go." We chatted about the wedding on the way back to the house and soon found ourselves in kitchen of the Burrow. Molly looked relieved as she saw us enter.

"Oh, there you lot are." She flicked her wand locking the Burrow up and adding extra protections for the night. "Nice evening for a walk?" She asked. I nodded.

"The weather is perfect tonight. We lost track of time, sorry about that Molly." She made a gesture with her hands that I took to mean it was fine. "Well, I think I'll grab a shower and go to bed. Goodnight." The room echoed a goodnight back at me and I headed up the stairs with Hermione on my heels.

"Do you mind if I shower first?" She asked.

"No, that's fine." She thanked me and headed into our room grabbing up a change of clothes before heading to the nearest bathroom. I went into our room and sat on the edge of our bed. George appeared at the door and knocked on the frame before entering. I raised an eyebrow wondering what he wanted. "What's up George?"

"I have this feeling like, if I have something to say to you, I need to do it now." He took in a breath. "I know you guys will be leaving the day after the wedding and everything will be crazy tomorrow. It's been fun getting to know you Malfoy; you're way cooler than I thought." I smirked.

"High praise, I must admit that it's been a similar experience for me. You and Fred are more than the pranking idiots I thought you were." He laughed.

"We wanted to offer you a job, when things are normal again. You're a potions genius mate; it could come in really handy at the shop." I was floored.

"That's…I would love that." George smiled and walked closer toward me, he held his hand out to shake. I stood and shook his hand; he pulled me into quick hug. "Take care of them out there." He whispered. "You're all going to need each other." I nodded as he stepped back.

"I won't let you down." I promised. Just then Hermione returned from her shower. I excused myself and quickly went to the bathroom, showering the day from my body. Hermione and I then made our way up to Ron's room where they discussed at length the items that Dumbledore had left behind for them. It was fairly interesting and I had no clue what any of the items could be used for on our quest. We all went to bed with no more answers than before and soon a new day was dawning. Harry and I both took polyjuice potion; turning into a red haired boy that apparently lived nearby, and soon the wedding was underway. Krum was at the wedding and I had to keep myself in check when I saw him flirting with Hermione. I walked up to her and asked her if she would like to dance. I span her onto the floor and she laughed at me.

"Are you jealous love?" I glared.

"I happen to know that Krum is the only other bloke who has ever managed to get his lips on you. Of course I'm jealous!" She smirked and shook her head at me.

"You know that I only care about you." I growled low in my throat and she giggled. Ron approached us then.

"Can I take over mate? I think Barny needs your help." He indicated Harry talking to old woman; he kept looking pointedly at me. I reluctantly let go of Hermione and let Ron take over. He was actually better at dancing than I would have thought. I watched them for a moment trying not to see green and then headed off to find Harry.

"Ah, here he is now, surely you know my Brother Barry." I heard as I approached I put a smile on my face and held out my hand to the witch. "This is Tessie, Ron's Aunt. You remember her?"

"Of course, Great Aunt Tessie, how wonderful to see you again," She looked utterly confused. "We saw you last at Charlie's graduation, don't you remember?"

"I can't say that I do. I think I would have remembered another set of twins running about." I shrugged.

"Well we were there. We were quiet youngsters though, Barny still hates crowds." She looked between us and nodded.

"Now that I think about it, maybe you were in the corner reading a book."

"Yes, exactly that was us." Harry jumped in.

"Well you two have grown up a lot since then, excuse me please." We watched as the confused older lady walked off. Harry looked stressed. We didn't have time to discuss anything when Luna came drifting over to us.

"Do I know you two?" She asked dreamily.

"Er, no, I don't think so." Harry was not so good at lying. "I'm Barny." He stuck out his hand she shook and looked to me.

"I'm Barry; we're cousins of the groom."

"There sure are a lot of Weasley's aren't there? But there is something so familiar about you."

"It must be a coincidence, we've just moved back from America." I answered.

"I've always wanted to go to America; they have some rare magical beasts there." Her voice went even dreamier. "Have you ever been to the desert, there are wild Thunderbirds there!"

"We lived in New York, actually." Harry supplied.

"Ooooh, New York! Have you two ever been to the underground where that Obscurus was let loose? I know they fixed it, but, there is apparently a cool statue there, hidden from the muggles obviously." I hoped that Harry might know what she was talking about as I had no clue.

"Well, most of the time we were at school, didn't have too much time to look into all the magical sites in New York." Maybe he was better at lying that I thought.

"Oh, of course, you must have gone to Ilvermorny then, my father told me all about it. What house were you in?"

"Wampus house, both of us." I replied.

"What was it like going to school in America?" She asked excitedly.

"I don't imagine it was too much different than going to school here." I answered looking to Harry. Time for a distracting story we made up about our time in America.

"We were pretty unique as there were no other English students in attendance in our year." Harry grinned.

"Kids used to pick on us in the early years but later one Barny and I were quite sought after by the ladies…and some of the men." Luna bust out a laugh.

"You sound like my boyfriend. He thinks everyone finds him drop dead gorgeous." I grinned at the apt description of Blaise.

"It's a fact for us. We both got asked out by several charming ladies and a couple gentlemen each to the last Valentine's Day dance we attended." I shrugged at the end of the sentence and watched a smile spread over Luna's face.

"I am having fun talking to you, but I do love this song, excuse me!" She walked over to the dance floor and started airily doing a dance. Her Father joined in minutes later and they drew a crowd. I'd never seen two people less aware that they were being watched, and that indeed their actions were odd at all. As the song came to a finish a blue-white light shot into the middle of the dance floor. It informed us that the ministry had fallen, and that they were coming. There was mass pandemonium as guest started apparating off and running about wildly. Harry and I looked around for Hermione and Ron. They were all the way across the tent from us. We locked eyes and started heading for each other. Just then Death Eaters started popping into the yard, apparently able to break through the wards now. Harry and I instantly turned so we were back to back, shooting up protection spells. I cast a couple stunning spells at two approaching Death Eaters and prayed we would make it to Ron and Hermione. After dodging several spells and shooting off several more of my own we made it to Ron and Hermione. She stuck out her hand and we all grabbed hold as she apparated us off.

* * *

 **AN: Hello lovelies! Sorry for the little posting gap A - I went to visit my grandma and fun fact, she has no internet. B - I kept thinking man, I should write the next chapter and then not doing it... This chapter issssss meh. I like it but it's a lil messy. Lemme know if ya'll want a one shot of Harry and Draco just bullshitting people throughout the wedding. I would write the crap out of that. I just needed a bridge chapter to get onto what's important, which is the horcrux hunt! I also couldn't help the little sex scene that formed. :P Fun fact, I have actually been to Ukraine so I just popped that little setence in for for fun. You guys. Five chapters ago I was at 100 reviews, this chapter - 150! Thank you so much!**

 **Speaking of reviews, let me thank my reviewers, that make things like 150 reviews possible! ZoeyOliva(x25! Holy crap! Thank you! I enjoyed reading your reviews and trying to remember what happened in what chapter that got those responses! Also thanks for pointing out the Crabbe and Goyle thing. I fixed it!), piratekiddo(No worries! I'm excited to see where this goes too!), chapou69(Snape breaks my heart all the time), pinkduck2587(Thanks! I'm thinking that DracoxGeorge could be awesome!), ElizW85(Thanks! I'm liking the other relationships that are developing too!), Juliemaggie(You didn't like Malfoy in AVPM?! It's genius! I didn't fix anything from the last chapter tbh punctuation and I are not friends. lol HOT SOCK! I maybe forgot about crook.)! Thank you guys so so much!**

 **Soooo, go ahead and leave me a review! Even if it's like - writing is more important than napping! - I'll be like ... naps though! So review, fav, and follow! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	27. Obliviate

27\. Obliviate

The sick, tight, squeezing of appartion grabbed me, and when it let up the four of us were standing in a busy street. "Where are we Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Tottenham Court Road." She said, offering nothing else in explanation. "We've got to find somewhere for you lot to change." I noticed then that people were in fact staring at our group. We were garbed in wedding attire, and magical attire at that. Muggles didn't wear dress robes. We walked along until Hermione spotted an alleyway and led us down it. "Okay, boys, change of clothes for you." She dug around in her bag and pulled out outfits for all of us. I knew that she had put an extension on the bag and had been collecting up things she thought we would need for the past week.

"Hermione, how have you managed to get all this in that tiny bag?" Ron asked as he started changing.

"I used an Undetectable Extension Charm. It's the first time I've tried it, but I think I did pretty well. I started packing away everything I thought we would need, and I've been carrying this with me in case we had to make a fast get away."

"You're brilliant Hermione." Ron decreed. She smiled at him and waited while we finished changing. The polyjuice potion was starting to wear off, so Hermione reached into the bag again. She extracted Harry's invisibility cloak.

"You two should hide under this." She handed the cloak to Harry and indicated that he and I should hide under it. I blinked my eyes at here.

"Sorry, what?" She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"You two nip under there, you can't be seen with us Draco, and the Death Eaters will most certainly be looking for Harry. So please, for our safety share that cloak with Harry. We'll go find someplace to sit so we can figure out what to do next." I looked at Harry and shrugged, he flung the material over us. We had to stand quite close together and hunch a bit for it cover us entirely and I hoped we wouldn't have to hide under it for long. We followed Roan and Hermione back out onto the street and eventually into a café. I looked over at Harry as we sat sandwiched together in the booth and tried not to laugh.

"I guess this is one way to get over hating each other." I said quietly. He soundlessly chuckled. Hermione ordered coffees for her and Ron and once the waitress had gone back to make them turned to look at us. We were alone now.

"Well, what do you reckon we should do?" Ron asked. There was a collective silence.

"We need to figure out somewhere to stay for a while, somewhere that we can sort out what happens next." Harry opined. I agreed.

"Yes, but where, where can we go that no one would look?" Hermione sighed. The waitress remerged with drinks and set them on the table. She asked if she could bring anything else Hermione declined and we waited until she was out of ear shot.

"What about Sirius' place?" Harry asked. "I know the protection will have fallen to the wayside, but, it was the secret headquarters and has since been abandoned. I don't think anyone would look for us there." Hermione lifted a shoulder and dropped it.

"We could go check it out anyway. If anything feels off about it we'll leave, agreed?" Hermione asked. We all assented. We were just about ready to leave when two figures appeared in the café. They walked past us and up the counter, but, I had immediately recognized them.

"Those are Death Eaters." I hissed. "Dolohov and Macnair, we need to get out of here." Hermione looked panicked. We made to leave and an all-out duel began. Harry got hit with a stunning spell and fell over, taking the cloak with him suddenly I was visible.

"Malfoy?" Dolohov asked. I grinned and shot a knockback jinx at him, he fell and I quickly cast an incarcerous charm. Hermione had incapacitated Macnair and we looked at each other.

"What do we do?" She asked. I looked to the corner of the café where the terrified waitress was stood clutching a tray like it might protect her. I sighed and rubbed at my forehead.

"Hermione, you work on getting Harry awake and getting the bindings off of Ron." He must have been hit with a spell too now that I looked at him, everything had happened so quickly. "I'll deal with the waitress, and then we need to straighten this place up and deal with those two." I gestured to the bound and struggling Death Eaters." I walked toward the waitress. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

"W-wh-who are you? What are you?" She whimpered.

"Don't worry about that now, are you hurt?" There had been spells flying and one easily could have hit her. She shook her head no. "Perfect." I quickly cast a spell to knock her unconscious and turned to the two Death Easters.

"You traitorous scum!" Macnair spit at me. I smirked and nodded.

"That's me. Now, I promise, this won't hurt a bit." I oblivated Dolohov, and I heard an intake of breath from behind me. Hermione was looking at me horrified. I raised an eyebrow at her. She blinked a couple of times and shook her head. She flicked her wand and put the café to rights again. I did the same trick on Macnair and we steered them into a booth. I oblivated the waitress as well, and cast a spell to wake her just as we left the café, once outside I looked at the trio and shook my head. "Not a great start that."

"We need to get out of here! How did they find you Harry?" Hermione asked. There was something wrong with her she looked on the verge of hysterics.

"I don't know. Maybe I still have the trace on me?" Harry theorized.

"You can't have." Ron shook his head. "We need to leave." Hermione held her hand out and everyone took hold. The sensation of being squeezed through a tube overtook me and we popped back into existence somewhere I had never been before.

"This was the Headquarters of the Order of the Pheonix." Ron let me know when I stood there confused. "It's actually and old Black estate. There might be some family heirlooms you'd be interested in looking at." He shrugged. I was baffled a Black estate being used by the resistance. My ancestors would have been horrified. I however, could not see what he was pointing at. We hurried towards a building and it looked like Harry tapped nothing.

"Guys, was this place under a Fidelius charm?" Hermione nodded and then groaned.

"We'll need to share the secret before you can get in. I hope it works. I don't know if it will." She dug around in her bag and produced a piece of parchment and scribbled on it hastily. She handed it over to me and I read it quickly. _The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._ I looked up from the paper and thankfully saw Number 12. I nodded to her that it had worked and we quickly piled inside. The first thing that happened was we heard a voice ask if we were Severus Snape. Harry said no. He took a step further in and a figure rose up, made of dust. It looked like a decomposing Dumbledore. It pointed at us and started screaming. Harry started screaming back. Something he said must have made a difference as the figure dissolved. Next a painting started yelling atrocities. I was very disoriented. Somehow someone shut the painting up and Hermione cast a spell to make sure we were alone. Once that was established Hermione and I looked at each other and started casting spells to beef up the protection.

"This place is nuts." I muttered. Hermione gave a weak smile.

"It's not usually like this." She said. We all ventured further into the house tentatively. We ended up in some sort of sitting room. Where Ron flopped down ashen faced onto a couch.

"Do you think my family is alright?" He asked looking at us all in turn.

"Of course Ron, they all know how to fight. I'm sure they're fine." Harry replied placing a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"I want to go back and check." He whispered.

"Ron, we can't we'd put everyone in further danger by going back there." Hermione's voice took on a pleading tone. Luckily at that moment a patronus found us and spoke in Arthur's voice. It asked us not to reply as they were being watched, but to know that everyone was fine. Ron visibly slumped in relief.

"They're okay." He whispered to himself. I let Harry tend to the situation and looked over to Hermione who was still acting odd.

"What's wrong love?" I whispered. She looked up and me and took my hand, pulling me from the room. We somehow ended up in a kitchen. The place was maze like and it would take some doing to figure out the layout.

"I did something - something that I needed to do, but something horrible. And I didn't tell you, I knew you would try to make me feel better about it. So, I kept it to myself." She was making me panic a bit. What could she possibly have done?

"Tell me Hermione, you're starting to scare me." I pleaded.

"Do you remember last week, when I left the Burrow?" I nodded. "I went to my parent's house. I had tea with them and before I left…" She trailed off and her eyes filled. I reached forward and took her hand. "Before I left I wiped their memories of me. I sent them off to Australia. I didn't know how else to keep them safe. Did I do the right thing?" He voice cracked and she started crying. I pulled her into my arms and ran one of my hands over her back gently.

"Oh Hermione, it's alright love. I wish you would have told me sooner. You've probably been beating yourself up about this since it happened." I thought back to how she had seemed a little withdrawn when she had returned to the Burrow, I never would have guessed something this big had been on her mind though. "I think you probably did the best that you could have, given the circumstances. It's not an easy time right now." I felt her nod miserably against me. I sighed and held her tighter. "We'll get them back." I vowed. She looked up at me, tears still streaming from her eyes.

"They'll hate me." She whispered. I shook my head.

"They could never hate you. Even if they're a little bit mad, you did this for their safety. You did what you had to." I lightly brushed my thumbs under her eyes. "We'll make it right one day Hermione, I promise." She sniffled and leant back into my chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Her voice was muffled against the fabric of my shirt.

"It's okay love. I understand." I held her tighter for a moment, until I heard a throat clear at the door. Harry was stood there awkwardly.

"Is everything okay?" He asked looking at the tearstained Hermione.

"I'm fine Harry. It's been a crazy day is all." She answered in a half truth.

"It has been." He agreed. "We've decided to sleep in the living room; I'd feel safer if we were all together." I nodded.

"We'll be there in a minute." I assured him. He shuffled for a moment before bobbing his head and leaving the kitchen. "Are you alright?" I asked Hermione. She drew in a deep breath and then nodded.

"Just watching you obliviate everyone in the café brought those memories back. Thank you for understanding." She rose on her toes and kissed me softly. I kissed her back then drew away to pull her into hug.

"Of course I understand, but, tell me next time something this big is bothering you so I can help." I felt her nod. "Good," I pressed a kiss to her forehead before stepping back. I pulled her hand and we made our way back to the living room. The boys graciously let Hermione and I share the couch while they camped out on the floor. Everyone got ready for bed, and soon Hermione was cuddled between me and the back of the couch, breathing deeply in her sleep. I looked over to where Ron was a heap on the floor not far from the couch. He looked away as I looked up. "Everything alright Weasel?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's still weird seeing you and Hermione together I guess. It's been a crazy day." He commented. I nodded.

"If I had to guess I'd wager there will be plenty of crazy days to come."

"I'm already looking forward to this being over." He sighed. "Adventures are fun, but, we've already had so many."

"We'll get through it Weasley. We've got everything we need to succeed the golden boy and this brainiac." I gestured to Hermione. Ron grinned.

"So what are you and I then, the two that hold everyone back?" I fought a laugh not wanting to wake Hermione.

"No, we're the comic relief." He snorted.

"Now that's an important role." He yawned and the action caused me to as well.

"Goodnight Ron."

"Goodnight Malfoy."

* * *

Over the next few days I spent a great deal of time going through the old headquarters and learning about my family. By some chance Harry found out that the mysterious R.A.B from the note in the dupe locket he and Dumbledore had retrieved was in fact Sirus' Brother. That led to him summoning an ancient house elf named Kreacher, who sadly let us know that the locket he had long protected had been stolen by one Mundungus Fletcher. Harry asked him to find Mundungus and bring him to be questioned. After that we had nothing much to do but wait. I had found out that Ron was an avid chess player and had challenged him to a game only for it to turn into a full on tournament between us. One day as we were playing Ron paused gameplay and looked over the board at me. I raised an eyebrow at the unexpected stall.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked. He looked around like we were in danger of being overheard. Harry and Hermione were up in Sirius' room looking through his things to see if they could find anything new.

"I'm all ears." I promised. He thought for a minute before talking.

"Is it hard? Working with us and fighting against people you've known your whole life? I think it's weird being around you, Harry and Hermione so much and I've been close with the other two for years." I thought about what he was asking for a minute.

"Well, if you would have asked me a year or two ago if I thought this is where I would be, I would easily and honestly say no. But, I can't see myself supporting the other side either. At least here with you lot I'm not in constant fear. The Death Eaters thrive off power; so, any one would sell any one out if it meant gaining favour. You always had to watch what you said and did. Here we are working towards the same goal, and even if we don't see eye to eye on everything, we can still get along. I'm not worried that one day you'll try to kill me because I didn't do what you wanted. But, it is rather odd. Sometimes when the three of you talk about old times or something you did together I feel like a squeaky fifth wheel." I held up a finger as he looked about say something. "I'm not saying that I want you to tone down your years of friendship because it makes me feel jealous or out of place. It's just a fact that sometimes it happens. What about you is it weird working with me?"

"It's a bit odd." He confessed. "But, what's odd about it is that you're actually likable. When Hermione first told us about the attachment and I realized that we were going to be stuck with you, I was furious. I thought you would be constantly arrogant and rude. I thought that you would be possessive of Hermione and that we would just have to put up with you. But, you aren't anything like I thought. That's the weird part. Are you just doing it because we are in this situation and we have to work together, or are you genuinely trying to be friends with us?" I mulled the thought over for a minute.

"It would be pointless of me to be rude and snarky for however long we happen to be on this mission. I didn't plan on liking your family or the Burrow, but, I did. You're lucky you know?" He arched an eyebrow. "Your house might be a little hectic and held together with magic, but, it's a home. You might fight with your siblings and disagree with your parents sometimes, but, your family is full of love. My family's mansion is just a place where we exist. My Father cares so much about how he is viewed that he would rather have kept my Mother and me in danger than leave the Death Eaters. I'm not just pretending to like you to make this experience easier. I've genuinely seen a different way to live, and I wish that I had been born into it, rather than fighting against it for most of my life. I'm sorry Ron, I'm sorry for all of the hurtful things I've said and done to you and your family. I was an ignorant little boy, and I like to think I've grown into something better than that." Ron looked down for a moment and sighed before looking me in the eyes again.

"I think I might have been hasty when I said we would never be friends. I think we were both shitty to each other over the years, and I'm sorry for that too. Now, if only you weren't dating Hermione I could completely forgive you." He grinned at me.

"Well, your Brother George did seem quite keen on me; perhaps I could be persuaded to leave Hermione in lieu of him." Ron burst out laughing.

"Ugh, no, stay with Hermione. I don't need you as a Brother-in-Law!" We both started laughing. I couldn't get the mental picture of standing at an altar with George out of my brain long enough to stop laughing. Suddenly there were sounds of an all-out brawl from somewhere below us. Ron and I jumped to our feet and raced toward the noise. We met up with Harry and Hermione in the hallway to the kitchen. Harry pushed the door open, and inside was the strangest sight. Kreacher was fighting with a dirty looking man and shouting obscenities at him. Collectively we looked at one another before pushing into the kitchen and breaking the two apart.

* * *

 **AN: Hello beauties! Forgive my little day gap, I took my mom to get a tattoo yesterday and just spent so much time driving and going to the mall ect. That I didn't feel like writing. Anywaysssss listen - I'm not a Fidelius charm expert, soooo I'm pretty sure that the writing would need to be Dumbledore's for that to work, but, well I needed Draco to get into the place. I'm a little in love with Draco and Ron becoming friends I think they'll be good for each other. I'm not going to just have Draco talk to Hermione once about how she oblivated her parents and because he reassures her its okay she's like - oh great! Lol I just didn't want to drag it out in the chapter. I think that's all I gotta say for now.**

 **I'll thank my reviewers since the last update! Lovesagoodstory19(Lol! I will write that one shot then! I'm not 100% sure where the story will end up, but I am 100% sure that there will be some George/Draco friendship in it!), pinkduck2587(Thank you!), ZoeyOlivia(Thanks!), and Juliemaggie(Lol! my B family. Lol! I mean, if they didn't use a charm because I forgot I might turn it into something like that. Haha! I gotcha. I looooove Draco, Voldemort, Umbridge and Snape, but all the cast is amazing!)! Thank you guys so so much for reviewing!**

 **So, please, please, please, leave me a review! You could just say - That's Barbaric! That's a wizards chess! - In a slight mockery of how Rupert Grint delivers that line all the way back in movie 1 - I would frankly love that. Lol! Review, fav, and follow! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	28. Truce

28\. Truce

Harry was very angry, and rightly so. Mundungus had been stealing from Number 12 Grimmauld Place for quite some time it would seem. Mundungus was a gross little chap, who thankfully decided struggling would be useless once he was surrounded in the kitchen. We listened to a long and excuse riddled tale about why he had stolen and how he promised he never would again, when Harry got impatient. "I don't care about all this Dung. What did you do with the locket?"

"It was some lady, had to give it away didn't I? She threatened to shut me down and have me arrested, so I gave her the locket. I dunno who she was mate." I saw Harry trying to rein in his temper. I leant onto my hands staring Mundungus down.

"What did she look like? Surely you can remember that detail."

"She was odd lookin'." He shrugged. "She had this sort of squishy looking face, no neck, she was wearing all pink." I exchanged a glance with the other three in the kitchen.

"Does the name Umbridge ring a bell?" Hermione asked from behind me. Mundungus shook his head.

"She never told me her name." I rolled my eyes. Ron suddenly slapped a paper in front of Mundungus. Umbridge was on the cover. I wondered where it had come from.

"Is that her?" He asked. Mundungus took the paper and looked carefully at the picture before nodding his head.

"Looks like her, yeah." He nodded. Harry swore loudly.

"Of course Umbridge would have it. Why not make this as hard as possible?" Harry groaned. He pushed past me and stuck his wand in Mundungus' face. "Leave now, and if you know what's good for you, you will not come back. You will not tell anyone that we are here, and if I find out that you do…" His sentence petered off menacingly. I saw Mundungus swallow hard.

"I won't course I won't!" He pushed his chair back and got to his feet before wobbling out of the room. Ron followed him to make sure he actually left, and Harry sank into the recently vacated chair.

"Fuck!" He uttered emphatically. "How the hell can we be expected to get that locket off of Umbridge?" I sat across from him and Hermione slid in to the chair next to me.

"Well…we know where to find Umbridge at least." Hermione stated. "It's problematic as that place is the ministry, but, we'll just have to work around that." Harry looked up with a glare.

"Problematic? Is that what you call it? The place is swimming with Death Eaters and people who would love to capture and kill all of us!" I looked over to Hermione who looked hurt to say the least. I took her hand gently in mine.

"It is a problem Potter, but, rather than getting upset about where it is, let's focus on a positive, which is that we finally know a location. Figuring out a plan won't be easy, but, we've got four people who are relatively intelligent to brainstorm a solution." Harry sat back with a sigh.

"Sorry I'm just pissed off about the whole situation." Harry frowned. Just then Ron came back into the kitchen and sat next to Harry.

"Where did Kreacher go?" He asked. I had just realised that the house elf was gone too. Harry shrugged.

"Probably puttering around the house, I told him that after he found Mundungus he was free to stay here and do as he pleased. Well, what do you reckon we should do then?"

"I've got a supply of polyjuice potion. We could decide on people to impersonate and get in that way." Hermione offered. No one seemed surprised that she had thought everything through down to the potions we would need.

"I know all the entrances that staff uses thanks to my Dad." Ron offered up. And so, a plan was put in place, one that would, unfortunately take some time to execute. We took turns staking out entrances and taking notes on who came through when. The only upside this afforded was that I got time alone with Hermione. Ron and Harry would go stake out one way in and Hermione and I another. I was taking advantage of the relatively privacy that 12 Grimmauld Place afforded us to sneak in intimate moments with Hermione. I knew when we started living out of a tent, and I was sure we would, things would be much more difficult to swing.

After weeks of planning, a plan was finally in place and to be executed the next day. Hermione and I left the living room where we had been discussing the plan at length with Ron and Harry. I pulled her toward the ballroom, one of my favourite rooms, and span her into a dance hold. She raised an eyebrow at me. "What are you doing?" She asked with a smile. I flicked my wand and a slow waltz started playing from the corner of the room.

"I'm dancing with my girlfriend." She snorted a laugh at the reply.

"I got that. Why are we dancing?"

"Because you look beautiful, and I doubt we'll have much time to waltz or tango after tomorrow."

"You're right." I led us skillfully through three songs before the music tapered off into soothingly slow music; I pulled the witch across from me closer into my arms. She swayed with me to the music and looked up at me. Her fingers danced onto my shoulders and up my neck before threading into my hair. She rose onto her toes and pressed her lips to mine. My hands at her waist pulled her closer. I doubted that I would ever get used to the notion that Hermione was mine and I was hers. I doubted that I would ever get my fill of touching and kissing her. She hummed against my lips and I felt a feral growl building in my chest. Just then the doors to the ballroom swung open. Harry and Ron stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"S-sorry!" Harry stammered.

"We just came to see what you lot wanted for dinner, but, apparently you're not hungry, for food anyway." Ron quipped. I laughed and looked down at Hermione who was turning a deep shade of red.

"Uhm, whatever you all want for dinner is fine. We'll be down in a bit." I shot the two boys at the door a look. Harry nodded and backed out of the room while Ron rolled his eyes at me and made a kissy face before leaving the room. Hermione sagged against me. It hadn't been the first or worst time that duo had found us in a compromising position, but it never failed to mortify Hermione. I pulled her along down the hall to one of the bathrooms and locked us in. I cast a muffle on the room and a charm between Hermione and myself before setting my wand aside. I walked toward her and hoisted her up onto the counter. Her hands feathered over the sides of my neck before she leant in to kiss me again. I easily progressed the kiss, and soon had divested both Hermione and myself of clothing. My eyes trailed down her body and she shivered under my stare before I stepped back to her. I rested my hands gently on her knees, which were straddling me. Softly I leant in and captured her lips with mine, slowly my hands appreciated every inch of her skin from her knees to her breasts, as they travelled up to play with her nipples. She let out a moan and I grinned against her lips. Her hand found me and she ran her hands over me a couple of times before positioning my length by her opening. She opened her eyes and looked at me hungrily. I smirked and kissed my way over to her ear, gently catching the lobe of it between my teeth as I pushed into her. Her back arched and I groaned at the feeling of her surrounding me. The bright golden light we sometimes produced shone out of our every pore as we moved together. My fingers flicked over her core bringing her to a loud climax as she moaned out my name. I didn't stop, I let the sensations re-build for Hermione and found my release as she shattered around me a second time.

"Merlin Draco!" Hermione panted leaning back on her hands and away from me. I gently pulled out and rested my head on her chest. I enjoyed the feeling of her fingers running through my hair and gradually worked on getting my breath back. When I opened my eyes the gold surrounding us had dissipated and I grinned at Hermione catching her up in a kiss again.

"I love you." I breathed against her. She smiled and kissed my cheek.

"I love you too." I picked her up and carried her to the shower. We washed quickly and re-dressed in our discarded clothes. Hermione pulled me back out into the hallway and we made our way to the kitchen where we supposed the boys would be. They looked up as we entered the kitchen. I sat in an open chair and pulled Hermione onto my lap.

"I was just about to head out and pick up the order we placed at the curry shop down the road." Ron said in lieu of a greeting.

"Mind if I come with you?" Hermione asked. Ron shook his head. The two of them stood and made their way from the kitchen. I heard Hermione laughing about something as they put on their coats and left. I looked over at Harry. He seemed preoccupied. I didn't spend too much time one on one with him.

"So, how are you feeling about tomorrow?" I asked breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Well, I'm nervous I guess." He responded. "Aren't you?" I shrugged.

"There are a lot of possible outcomes with this plan. I trust that we'll work together and get what we want. No point in worrying about it, it's going to happen how it happens." He nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but shook his head and closed his mouth; I quirked an eyebrow up. "What is it?" He looked at me for a moment before he sighed and leant forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"I just got thinking…after Ron and I accidentally found you and Hermione in the ballroom…" He paused and seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say. "Well, it must be comforting to have Hermione here with you for this experience. There are going to be shitty days ahead, I'm certain of that, but, you two will have each other. I walked away feeling jealous almost. Not because I'm interested in Hermione!" He instantly defended. "I have my two best friends with me, and I have you, but, it isn't the same. If I could have brought Ginny with me I would have been happy, but, there was no way I'd ever endanger her like that." I hadn't missed the end of year drama with Harry dating Ginny, and I hadn't missed the wistful glances shared between them over the summer. I felt for him.

"Truthfully I don't know what I would do without Hermione. It really has nothing to do with the aforementioned physical comfort we can bring each other; it's more the knowledge that she knows me. She knows me better than anyone, and there is no one I would rather spend time with than her. But, I think we just need to learn how to depend on each other. I never would have seen myself dating Granger, I never would have seen myself becoming friends with multiple Weasley's, especially not Ron, but, I am. We are going to need to learn to band together through this experience. I would hope that if you were having a shitty day you would feel like you could talk to me about it. In the same way that if I were having a bad day I could talk to Hermione, or Ron, or even you. It's been hard to be close to you after what happened during the school year, but, we've both changed." I sighed and looked away for a moment, shifting in my seat. "I forgive you Harry, for anything you've said or done, under the influence of the Dark Lord or not. I want to get started on this journey tomorrow and kick ass, so we can bring some peace back to the world." Harry blinked thrice, looking like he had too many thoughts to sort through.

"That means a lot to me Draco. Thank you." I nodded. Just then we heard the front door open and close and heard Ron and Hermione chatting and laughing about something. They were soon back in the kitchen and laying out the food.

"Did we interrupt something?" Hermione asked. I shook my head; this didn't need to be discussed with everyone.

"Harry and I were just talking about tomorrow. Going over some scenarios, you know." I lied. Hermione seemed oblivious as she nodded and went to get some silverware. We all tucked into the food. It was odd sitting at that table having an amicable easy conversation with three people I likely would have made fun of in previous years. It seemed to happen less and less often when I would find myself in totally surreal moment. Ron made a joke and I quipped back. Potter said something self-deprecating and Hermione rallied him. The comradery was so different to what I grew up involved in. I blinked and looked at the three others at the table who were all looking at me expectantly. "Sorry, I must have spaced out for a minute there, what?" Ron grinned and re-asked his question.

"I asked if you were feeling alright mate. You looked like you were receiving communication from another planet for a minute there." He laughed.

"It was the planet of the blondes calling me, demanding that I keep up stereotypes by acting dumb at least once a day." I responded.

"You act dumb waaaay more often than that, you've got it covered!" Ron joked. I rolled my eyes.

"They'll be pleased to hear that." I answered. "No I was just thinking, as I sometimes do, that it's weird. It's weird sitting here having a curry with you lot. How different my life is from a year ago." I shrugged.

"We're glad things are different, we're glad you are here." Hermione supplied. Harry nodded.

"How else would I make blonde jokes?" Ron asked. I smirked at him.

"Yeah, like you're one to talk ginger!" That started an all-out insult war that lasted until bedtime between Ron and me. We all decided on an early night as the next day was going to be stressful enough without sleep deprivation added to the list. Just before Hermione and I sat down to get situated on the couch I felt a familiar, burning on our joined hands. I looked at our hands with dismay.

"What's this about?" Hermione and I asked at the same time, trying to unlatch our hands. Ron and Harry looked over with baffled expressions. We hadn't gotten attached in months and months. I looked at Hermione and shrugged. I wasn't feeling anything that might be causing this. She looked kind of guilty. "Excuse us gentlemen." I intoned before walking from the room with Hermione. We went one room down and shut the door. "What's going on?"

"I-I dunno." She stammered. I levelled a stare at her. "I'm nervous, I think, about tomorrow. I'm nervous we'll get separated or something will go wrong or-" I brought our joined hands up and kissed the back of her hand, silencing her.

"If we get separated we have a plan to meet up, if something goes wrong, we will figure out a solution. I'm not letting anything take me away from you." I vowed. She nodded and pushed into my arms, hugging me with the one arm that she had free. "We just need to have faith in each other love. I have absolute faith that you'll be able to handle anything that happens tomorrow." I pulled back and kissed her gently.

"I do have faith." Her voice wavered.

"Come on Hermione, let's get some sleep, hopefully this will sort itself out over-night and if not we'll figure it out tomorrow. Just try to relax." She nodded and kissed me again. We made our way back to the living room where we slept and settled onto the couch. Ron and Harry were already on their makeshift sleeping surfaces.

"Are you two alright?" Harry asked.

"We'll be fine." I assured him. Everyone exchanged goodnights, and soon I was slipping into a dream.

 _"_ _Shut up Draco! They can't know I'm here!" A familiar voice hissed at me. We were stood in the middle of a snowy forest in the darkness of a winter's night. The light filtering through the trees making me feel as though anyone could be hiding anywhere._

 _"_ _What does it matter, they know you were doing what you had to!"_

 _"_ _I just came to give you this." Snape pulled a shining sword out from a bag that looked too small to hold it. "I wanted to see how you were doing." A rare softness entered his tone._

 _"_ _I'm fine." I assured him. "And how are you?"_

 _"_ _It's been a difficult year." He intoned ominously. He was looking rather worse for wear. His face was whiter than I remembered, and he seemed…less substantial. "I'm going to hide this at the bottom of that body of water, and lure Harry to it with a patronus. If I just give you the sword they will wonder where you got it."_

 _"_ _Why do we need it?"_

 _"_ _For the horcruxes Draco," He explained as though he were talking to a tired five year old._

 _"_ _But, we already know how to destroy them." He looked taken aback. "We've already destroyed one."_

 _"_ _How?" I was about to answer when I felt a terrible burning on my palm, and felt myself being pulled from the dream._

* * *

 **AN: Okay guys. This was a long lapse for me, but, I had a migraine for like two days, and there was no way any writing was getting done. I would like to point out that I am myself a blonde person that chooses to have red hair, so I can make all the jokes I want to! Lol! I like this chapter I think it was kinda important, and the next one will be a little more...action packed perhaps. Would ya'll absolutely hate me if I skipped over the scene at the ministry to the aftermath? It just seems like it is going to be tedious to write... Lemme know! Moving right along -**

 **Thanks to my reviewers, who make me smile and inspire me to keep writing even when my head is pounding! nanny922(Awe. Thank you!), Lovesagoodstory19(Lol! Sorry for making you like Ron!), apls79(Ooooh, I love it when I am accidentally cannon on complex magic, thanks for the info! Glad you're enjoying the story!), ZoeyOlivia(Exactly! Thanks!), pinkduck2587(Thank you!), Juliemaggie(If I'm going to be 100 with you I forgot and then was like whooooooops, no! Fix this smithy!), and nicolemae666(Thanks!)! I truly appreciate each and every one of you!**

 **So. This is the part where I beg apologetically for reviews! Even if you just type like - Just wrap this up and go the bathroom already Smithy! - I'll be a little concerned that you knew I had to pee when I wrote this AN. Lol! So review, fav, and follow! Thanks so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	29. Meaningful Bond

29\. Meaningful Bond

All I can really remember from the scramble to get out of the ministry was Hermione's terrified face, and multiple squeezes of appartion. Something had gone wrong, of that I was sure. When we finally touched down for the last time in the middle of nowhere, I did a quick look around and was shocked to see Ron lying on the ground bleeding. Everyone seemed frantic and I could tell that someone taking control was needed. "Right, everyone calm down! Hermione, please try to heal Ron, you packed dittany right?" She nodded and grabbed hastily for her bag. "Harry, we need to set up protection wards and the tent, Ron will need to rest after this." Harry nodded in affirmation. We all set about our tasks. Harry and I finished warding up a small area, and returned to see Hermione still shaking, but sitting by a halfway patched up Ron. I knelt and put a soft hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Hermione." She shook her head. I shot a look at Harry, and he came and guided Hermione away, uttering to her under his breath. I looked down at Ron, he was paler than usual.

"That was all for nothing then, wasn't it?" He croaked out once Hermione was out of earshot. "We didn't get the locket, and now, we have nowhere to stay."

"Well, we may not be able to stay at Grimmauld place any longer, but, we did get the locket." I picked up the bottle of dittany that Hermione had discarded. I applied it gently to Ron's shoulder. I cast a few healing spells for good measure, and then managed to make a sort of sling from some bandages Hermione had packed. Ron said very little as I worked. "Alright mate, I think that's the best patch up job I can do at the moment." Ron looked down at his shoulder.

"Thanks, I wonder if Hermione has any painkilling potion tucked away in that bag. He winced as I helped him sit up. Slowly I helped him get to his feet.

"Let's go ask her." I shrugged. I started walking toward the tent where Hermione and Harry were whispering vehemently at the entrance.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked. The pair looked up, noticing our approach for the first time.

"No, no, of course nothing is wrong. How're you feeling Ron?" Hermione's eyes darted between Harry, Ron, and me. I narrowed my eyes at her in question.

"To be honest Hermione, I've been better, but I think between you and Draco, I'll live." She nodded, attempting to smile. I held her bag out to her and she took it, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Well, we have this horcrux; I suppose we should set about destroying it." Harry pulled the locket out of one of his pockets, and held it out for us to see. I knew that destroying it would be no easy feat. I said as much to the group assembled. But, they didn't listen. So I found myself watching as all three of the Gryffindor's took turns shooting hexes at the locket. _I let them have at it for a bit before I held up my hand and got them to stop. I picked up the locket and could hear it whispering._

 _"This is no ordinary enchanted locket guys, this has a piece of You-Know-Who's soul in it. Destroying something this dark is going to take either something equally dark, or equally powerful. The other fun thing about this is that it will probably be able to screw with our emotions. Come listen to this." I let the others press their ears to the locket one by one, you had to listen closely, but, you could tell it was whispering. "No one wears this locket for more than eight hours, and never sleep with it on. If it wasn't so valuable I would say we hide it somewhere and pick it up when we have a means of destroying it, but that's too risky." Harry held his hand out and put the locket around his neck._

 _"I'll take first watch here. Hermione is there anything else we can do for Ron?" He asked, I looked over at Ron, and he wasn't looking good. Paler than he had been before, he should not have been wasting energy on spells that had no effect on the locket. Hermione shook her head._

 _"I've done all that I can for a Splinch. Ron, why don't you go ahead and rest, we'll try to come up with what to do next."_

 _"Why don't you go lie down too Hermione, that healing has taken it out of you." I gently laid my hand on the side of her face and brushed the dark circles under her eyes. She looked about to argue but I shook my head. She pouted but gave in._

 _"Come on Ron, let's go." They disappeared into the tent and Potter and I set about making a fire and ensuring our protective spells were properly in place. Eventually we sat next to each by the fire._

 _"Well Potter, one horcrux located we've got to be happy about that." He attempted a smile._

 _"Nothing seems very happy at the minute." He laid his chin against his drawn up knees and sighed._

 _"We've got this Harry, you need to believe that. If you give up then there's no point." He nodded._

 _"What do you reckon we can use to destroy this thing?" He asked. I shrugged and thought back over what I knew of dark artifacts. I had never dealt with something quite so dark before._

 _"Something this dark as I said will need something else horrible, or something else as powerful." The thought of more powerful hit my brain and I had a realization. "Actually I think I've got it!" Harry raised an eyebrow in question and I felt like smacking myself for not figuring it out sooner. "Hermione and I can produce more powerful magic than most because our energy is tied together. We've never performed any tandem magic, but, what if this is the reason we were bonded?" I felt right as I said the words. "I might need to delve into my stores of dark spells to get the job done, but, I bet we can destroy the locket!" Harry looked happier than he had in weeks._

 _"_ _Do you really think so?" I nodded. "I want to know, but, I think we should let Ron and Hermione rest." I agreed. I cast my eyes out to our surroundings; we were in a forest somewhere. Autumn had really settled in and the leaves were changing colours. I took in a deep, aware breath for the first time since we had arrived at that spot, and tasted the crisp fall air. Suddenly things felt clearer, and easier, I knew I was on the right path. I heard a bit of thrashing around in the tent, and looked over at Harry. He shrugged and I pushed to my feet peering into the tent. Hermione was sleeping, but fitfully. Making noises of fear and panic. I made my way over to the bunk she was on and knelt down. I reached out and held her hands in mine, feeling a searing as my skin attached to hers. She calmed instantly, I was unsure if I should wake her or let her keep sleeping. She must have been tired to have fallen asleep so quickly. I decided to just sit there for a while, only looking away from Hermione when Harry poked his head into the tent._

 _"_ _Is everything okay?" He whispered. I nodded in response. "I got stuck though." I indicated my hands which were fused to Hermione's._

 _"_ _I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." He turned and sat at the entrance to the tent, looking out. We all sat quietly for what seemed like hours, until I heard Hermione start to wake up. I looked over at her as she blinked her eyes open, looking at me curiously. She went to brush her hair out of her eyes and realized I was stuck to her hands._

 _"_ _Oh," She whispered. "What happened?" I looked behind me to where Ron was still sleeping and she nodded, getting that I didn't want to wake him. Hermione slowly got to her feet and we awkwardly made our way out of the tent. I led her a ways away from it so we could talk a normal decibel._

 _"_ _You were having a bad dream, I went in to check on you, and when I went to shake you awake we just got fused. I don't really know why. But, I do think I figured out something really important when I was talking to Harry." She raised an eyebrow. "I was talking about how something equally dark or powerful would be needed to destroy the locket when I realized, you and I are more powerful. We can combine our magic because of the bond, right?" Her mouth dropped open at my statement._

 _"_ _You think we were bonded to destroy Horcruxes?" As soon as she said it and started thinking about it our hands glowed brightly, reflecting all the colours and incarnations it had been through – gold, red, pink, and green. When the light subsided we were able to release each other._

 _"_ _When I thought of it, it was like…like everything had fallen into place." She nodded, I supposed understanding the feeling._

 _"_ _When can we try? What do we try?" She asked._

 _"_ _Whenever you're ready to try we can. We have never done tandem magic, so we might need to work on it first. The spell we will need to use will need to be researched as well I feel. I don't think a regular spell will do the trick. We might need to go a little dark, and if that is the case I want to be the one casting it." Hermione thought over what I had said carefully._

 _"_ _I think I'd like to rest up a bit before we try anything. Maybe tomorrow we can start practicing, but, for today we can read up on spells, I brought several books that I think will be helpful." I smiled down at her and leaned down kissing her softly._

 _"_ _Of course you did." She pushed onto her toes and kissed me back briefly before lowering down again. "Did you want to go back to sleep, you've been through a lot today." Hermione was in charge of apparating us, she was the only one licensed and I feared it was going to take a toll on her. And beyond that we had woken up early, had to get ourselves unstuck from the night before, which took a bit of work on Hermione's end. We had gotten into place, knocked out four ministry workers and taken polyjuice potion. Inside the ministry it had been a bit of a shit show with us fleeing the scene. Someone had grabbed onto Hermione as she apparated us out, and to Grimmauld place. She had shaken him off and apparated us twice more. Unfortunately this meant that Grimmauld place was now breached and we would be living out of a tent until the end of the war. Hermione sank onto my chest and I wrapped her in my arms._

 _"_ _I don't think I need to sleep, we can read through spell books together, that will be relaxing enough for me." I agreed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. We walked back toward the tent and Hermione ducked in and grabbed her bag before coming back out. We settled against a tree as she dug out two different books. We read through them silently until it got dark. Ron had woken up and we decided to make a fire. Harry had given Hermione the locket before heading into the tent to go to sleep._

 _Hermione was leaning back against a tree and my head was in her lap. I drifted off listening the sound of the fire crackling, and feeling Hermione's fingers play through my hair. I didn't really dream which was strange, but I wasn't deep asleep either. I fully shook myself awake when the moon was high in the sky and Hermione looked down at me curiously. I sat up and cast a heating charm on myself before leaning onto Hermione's shoulder. "Why don't you go in to sleep love?" Hermione asked looking away from her book and leaning her head on top of mine._

 _"_ _I'm fine; I'd rather stay out with you." I looked and saw that both of the boys had gone into the tent to sleep. "I wouldn't leave you alone out here."_

 _"_ _We're perfectly safe, I checked the spell work you and Harry cast, just as a precaution. Having someone on watch is just a safety measure at this point. I don't mind if you want to go lay down." She insisted._

 _"_ _Trying to get rid of me, I get it." She scoffed._

 _"_ _How did you guess?" I shrugged against her._

 _"_ _I know you can't stand me."_

 _"_ _You're absolutely right. I'm so repulsed by you." In difference to her words she leant further into me, and placed her lips over mine. My hands snaked into her hair as our lips worked together. Things were just getting good when a throat clearing broke us apart. Ron stood ghostly pale in the moonlight, an uncomfortable look on his face._

 _"_ _Sorry to bother you, but, Hermione do you have more pain potion? My arm is bugging me pretty badly." Hermione was blushing furiously as she cast about in her bag. She pulled out a couple of vials and stood up to hand them off to Ron._

 _"_ _Sorry, I thought you would be sleeping." I heard her mumble under her breath._

 _"_ _Honestly Hermione, Harry and I have caught you two at it so often that it hardly registers anymore, don't worry about it." Ron answered back. He looked back over at me. "As you were, Harry is completely knocked out I'm off to sleep again after I take these potions." I laughed and Hermione went even redder, if that was possible._

"Good night Ron." I called. He waved himself off and re-entered the tent. Hermione plopped down next to me and buried her face in her hands groaning.

"I hate when that happens." She muttered miserably. I chuckled slinging my arm around her.

"Hey now, I think the boys realize how irresistible I am, no need to be embarrassed Hermione." We had had this talk several times after being caught out by Ron or Harry. She sighed and buried her face into my chest.

"I don't understand how you don't get flustered. It's really embarrassing!" She lamented.

"Why would I be embarrassed that I get to kiss you whenever I like?" I asked. She looked up at me thoughtfully for a moment.

"Do you think I'm embarrassed of you?" She sounded a little shocked. I shook my head no.

"No, I think I'm the only person your friends have seen you kiss, and that's always awkward for a while. We're just lucky they haven't caught us in more compromising positions." Her face pinked. "I'm sure Ron and Harry aren't expecting us to be celibate through this whole mission. It's just going to be a little more difficult now that we don't have separate rooms or any relative privacy." She still didn't look convinced. "One day, we are going to look back on this whole experience and laugh that we had to sneak around, and tease Ron about his embarrassing chess losses, and remember Harry yelling at Mundungus fondly. It's just hard to find perspective in the moment." Finally she nodded and laid her head on my shoulder.

"You're a lot smarter that I would have guessed." She said at length. I laughed.

"Well, thanks Hermione." She laughed too and looked up at me.

"You know what I mean. Before we started any of this I just assumed you were this dumb, blonde terror. It's funny how wrong we can be sometimes." I grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank Merlin for unwanted magical attachments." I concluded. She agreed with a laugh. We both sat silently, wrapped in each other for a while. A thought occurred to me. "One of my premonitory dreams came true today, I think we should talk to Ron and Harry about the other one's we've had. I want to make sure that the Death Eater one doesn't happen." Hermione nodded. I had told her about all my dreams, and she had told me about hers, we had them all written down in a notebook in Hermione's bag. We both spent the night half awake, leaning against each other, and when the sun rose, Ron and Harry appeared from inside the tent.

"Morning lovebirds," Ron threw in our direction with a smirk. I flipped him off, and we all exchanged good mornings. Harry started making breakfast while Ron sat across from us, leaning against a stump. His colour was looking a little better thankfully. Once breakfast was served and consumed I cleared my throat and pulled out the dream log Hermione and I had kept, holding it up. The two boys looked a little confused.

"This is a dream record of sorts, whenever Hermione and I have dreams that seem prophetic in nature we write them down. There is one in particular we need to talk to you guys about. It could be very dangerous if it ends up happening." I flipped the pages open to the dream I was thinking of and refreshed my memory before looking back up. "I don't know when this is going to happen, hopefully it won't, but, we are all inside the tent along with a couple of other people, everyone is talking and Harry you start to say something about You-Know-Who. Ron tries to stop you saying something about a taboo, but you finish saying his name, and right after we can hear people apparate outside the tent. I go out, and it's Death Eaters, they ask to search the tent after I make some excuse about trying to find my Mother. I woke up after that so I don't know what happened. But, from this dream we learned not say You-Know-Who's actual name. Please, it's very important that no one says it. Ron and Harry exchanged looks before focusing back on me and nodding.

"I'll remember." Harry promised.

"Now, if you two don't mind, Hermione and I should get a couple hours of sleep before we try to blast that Horcrux to hell." I lifted the locket from around my neck. I had taken it from Hermione during the night. I handed it off to Ron before pulling Hermione into the tent and onto our bunk. We settled into a spooning situation before easily falling asleep.

* * *

 **AN: *peeks out from behind the door guiltily* Hey guys... Ten days without an update is a bit of a whoops on my part. But, I was just completely uninspired and couldn't think what to write about, and my brain has been very, very rude to me lately. It's been hard to get anything done honestly. But anyway, here is the next chapter, I hope ya'll enjoyed it, I feel kinda meehhh about it. I'm going to hopefully pick things up a bit in the next couple of chapters, I'm anticipating that this fic will wrap up in like ten or so chapters, but, you guys know I'm not actually in control of this fic. :P**

 **I'll take this chance to thank my wonderful, amazing, gorgeous, handsome, spectacular reviewers! Juliemaggie(Thankfully, I made it to the bathroom on time! :P), Randomreader(Thank you so much!), Lovesagoodstory19(You dye your hair brown?! Jealous I want your hair!), ZoeyOlivia(Thank you!), pinkduck2587(Thanks!), Emeejay(Thank you!), Niamh x(x2 YAS! AVPM is everything! Thank you!), chapou69(Thanks! Sorry I skipped over the ministry scene!), Animelover1396(X4 Thank you so much for your reviews!)! You all are the bees knees, I appreciate your reviews so so much!**

 **So. If you want to be the bees knees, write a review why don't you? It's easy! Just type into that box below and submit it! Even if it's just like - You binge watched Emilia Fart instead of writing this fic? Shame on you! - I'll be like yah, and it was totally worth it because I LOVE Amelia Fart! Anyway. Review, fav, and follow my dears! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **~WS**


	30. Hissy Fit

30\. Hissy Fit

Hermione and I stood holding hands and concentrating on casting tandem magic, it was odd; it was like the magic was electricity flowing between us. We had been casting tandem spells for a couple of weeks figuring things out, and we finally felt confident casting on the locket. It was sitting innocuously on a stump; I took a deep breath and looked over at Hermione. "Are you ready?" I asked. She looked apprehensive, but nodded. Hermione was going to cast 'Bombarda Maxima' and see if that worked, if not, it was onto heavier spell work. I would then try 'Expulso', and if none of that worked, I would go dark. Hermione drew in a breath and then focused on the locket. I felt my magic flowing into her as she cast her spell. A small explosion occurred and we let the smoke clear before going to check for damage.

The locket lay on the stump, unmoved and totally intact. I sighed and we walked back to our casting position. Harry and Ron were watching from the sidelines, but had agreed not to interfere in any way. I cast the next charm. A blue light surrounded the locket as I uttered Expulso. Another explosion followed; again we waited for the smoke to clear before approaching. There was a crack in the front of the locket, and a black steam seemed to be billowing forth. I gently pushed Hermione behind me and backed away as the steam continued to pour out of the locket. It took on a human shape and red eyes glared out from the smoke.

"Do you really think you're good enough to be here, Draco?" The smoke asked in a perfect imitation of Voldemort's voice. "Do you really think you'll ever be 'one of them'? Pathetic," He clucked. The eyes found Hermione behind my shoulder. "And you, mudblood filth! You'll never be accepted in magical society, people can smell the filth in your veins. The love of your life is pure blood! You will never be good enough in his eyes." I gripped Hermione's hand tighter; I hoped she knew that this was untrue, that this remnant of Voldemort's soul was just trying to turn us against each other. I didn't hesitate as I lifted my wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" I summoned up all the hate that I had toward the man who had destroyed my family. A green light shot out from my wand hitting the piece of soul and shattering it. The locket burst apart and everyone had to duck and cover to avoid the shrapnel. I stood slowly, and brought Hermione to stand with me. I looked over to Ron and Harry who were staring at me open-mouthed. "Well…we did it." I said shakily. Harry and Ron stood and walked to the stump, I pulled Hermione along behind me. There were just fragments left of the locket. Harry collected them and put them in the pouch he carried with him.

"Well, good job you two!" Harry smiled the first true smile he had attempted in a while. "I can't believe you guys actually did it!" He held his hand out for a high five. I didn't leave him hanging, and Hermione released her grip on me to grab Harry up in a quick hug. She smiled at Ron over Harry's shoulder. Ron walked over to me and slapped my back in a friendly way.

"We should celebrate!" Ron declared. I fully agreed. We decided to forgo living rough for the night. We would all transfigure each other and get rooms in a hotel in a muggle city. My Mother had thoughtfully gotten me money and we had exchanged some to muggle currency for just such an event. I didn't mind bankrolling the operation.

An hour later, after cleaning up our campsite, and transfiguring each other we were ready to go. I knew of a nice hotel in Liverpool, that wasn't too expensive, and Hermione apparated us off to the Heywood House Hotel. I procured us two rooms, one for Hermione and me, and one for Ron and Harry. We all hung out in the same room and ordered in a pizza. It had been awhile since we had food that didn't suck and we all set into it fiercely. We agreed to meet up in the lobby and grab breakfast before leaving Liverpool the next morning. Hermione immediately turned for the bathroom after the boys left. I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm dying for an actual shower. It's been so long!" I grinned. We did the best we could, bathing in stream water and using scourgify spells, but an actual shower would be amazing. "Do you want to join me?" She asked. I grinned at the suggestive tone. I stood and walked toward her, pulling her into my arms and swiftly attached my mouth to hers. She pressed up against me fully and trailed her hands down my back. "It's been awhile." She breathed against my mouth. It had been we had only tried once since we'd been out on the run, and it had not gone to plan. We were caught, and it was cold, and uncomfortable. It had only been a couple of weeks, but, it felt infinitely longer. I reached for my wand on the bed behind us and cast a couple of spells. A muffle and a contraception charm before I forgot.

"Too long," I agreed. I pulled her more fully against me. My hand slid down her back to cup her bottom. I lifted her easily. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I walked us into the bathroom. I pushed her up against the wall and growled low in my throat. I felt her lips turn up against mine at the sound. I gently set Hermione onto her feet and turned to the shower, turning it on hot. Hermione had already shed most of her clothes by the time I turned back to her. I shrugged out of my shirt and unbelted my pants, undoing the button and letting them pool at my feet. Hermione reached behind her and unclasped her bra before shimmying out of her under ware. My mouth went dry watching her. I slid my boxers down and stepped out of the pile of clothes at my feet. I held my hands out to Hermione and she took them, stepping closer to me. "You're gorgeous," I breathed.

"You're not so bad yourself." She winked at me and stepped closer still. I leant just my head forward and captured her lips with mine. My whole body called out to her, craving her warmth and her love. I finally gave in and pulled her against me before stepping into the shower with her. The water was a little on the warm side, but I didn't mind. I ran my tongue over her bottom lip, eliciting a shiver. I smirked before I resumed kissing her. My hand slid down her side, onto her stomach, and finally into her folds. She was wet and ready for me. I moaned at the feeling. She bucked against me, and spurred my hand into faster action. I brought her right to the edge before withdrawing my hand. I turned her so her back was to me; Hermione braced her hands against the shower wall as I slid into her. I sank my teeth gently into her shoulder as one arm went around her to hold her to my chest, and the other slid back down to flick over her. I felt her climax around me and pumped in and out twice more before finishing myself.

I could feel Hermione breathing heavily against me and wrapped her in my arms, holding her to me as we came back down, our breathing evening out. Hermione turned in my arms, pressing a kiss to my jaw. We quickly showered and towelled off before collapsing onto the bed with a sigh. The bunks were not that uncomfortable, but had nothing on this bed. I pulled Hermione into my arms and kissed her softly. "I wish we could do this every night. I miss having alone time with you." She ran her hand softly over my chest.

"I miss it too, but, we're doing important work." She sighed. I nodded.

"I know, and I realize it's safer for us to stay off the grid, but, it kind of sucks." She agreed easily.

"At least you're taking it better than Ron." Ron had been a bit of a bear since we had left London. He was used to excellent food, his mother was ridiculously good at cooking, and Hogwarts fare was not too shabby. He didn't like being cold and wet, he didn't like being hungry. None of us did, but he complained the most.

"Yeah, he's not doing well on our campouts is he?" She shook her head and settled more fully into my side. I felt my eyes grow heavy.

The next thing I knew there was knocking on the door and I was groaning into awareness. I felt Hermione shifting next to me. The knocking continued. I rose from the bed and checked the peephole before opening the door. Harry and Ron were stood on the other side of the door. I opened it and gave the boys a look. "What?"

"It's ten in the morning you were supposed to meet us in the lobby half an hour ago!" Harry hissed.

"Sorry, we must have slept in, let me just get Hermione up, and we'll meet you in the lobby as soon as we're ready." The boys looked unhappy, but nodded as I shut the door in their faces. I went to wake Hermione, checking the clock and noting that was indeed past ten.

I leant down and gently shook Hermione's shoulder. She fluttered her eyes open and looked up at me. "It's past ten, we slept in." She groaned. I went to the bathroom to relieve myself and brush my teeth. I pulled on freshly scourgified clothes and re-entered the bedroom. Hermione was sitting up, her eyes closed. I walked toward her and gently tilted her head up, kissing her softly. She responded a bit too eagerly to the kiss, launching herself up into my arms. I kissed her back briefly, but drew back, sooner than she would have liked. "You have to get ready babe, Harry and Ron are waiting for us downstairs. She frowned, but nodded heading moodily to the bathroom. I waited patiently for her; she took about five minutes and then re-emerged from the bathroom.

"Okay, I'm ready to go." I nodded and took her hand, pulling her from the room. We swiftly made our way down to the lobby. Ron and Harry were waiting for us, and stood from the couches they were sat on as we appeared. We grabbed breakfast at a little café down the street and talked over what to do next.

"Do we have any idea where another Horcrux would be?" I asked as we sat a too small table. I looked from Harry to Hermione to Ron, none of them offered up a response. "I'll take that as a no."

"We know from Harry's lessons with Dumbledore that he was looking for items to do with each Hogwarts house. So, we've destroyed the Slytherin one." Hermione added in.

"He probably was a lot less sneaky about where he hid these items as we're giving him credit for. He is very arrogant; some are probably hiding in plain sight. I wonder if any of the Death Eaters were tasked to protect one?" I wondered aloud.

"I think we should get back out into the wild and figure out what we know about You-Know-Who." Harry insisted.

"Do we have to? I hate the tent, I hate being out there!" Ron whined. I tried not to roll my eyes at him.

"It's safer that way Ron." I agreed with Harry easily. "We should stop and buy supplies before we skip town again though, we're low on food and other essentials." Hermione nodded. We finished eating breakfast before finding a market nearby and picked up some essentials. Finally we scuttled down an alleyway and Hermione apparated us off. We popped back into existence in a forest somewhere. We started pitching the tent and setting up wards. Ron sat on the ground, cross-legged and frowning. "So, what, you're just not going to help out at all?" I asked Ron. He glowered at me.

"I'm sick of this!" Ron exploded. "I hate camping and not knowing where the next meal is coming from, not knowing when we will have running water or warm comfortable beds to sleep in. I didn't think it was that bad, and then last night reminded me of all the comforts we're missing out here!"

"I don't have unlimited funds Ron, I can't afford to put us up in hotels every night! What do you suggest? You know we can't stay at the Burrow or Grimmauld place, or anywhere they would expect us to be. Do you want to be safe, or do you want to be comfortable?"

"Really Ronald, even Draco isn't complaining about sleeping rough." Hermione added.

"Sorry I'm not perfect like your boyfriend Prince Charming." Ron spat.

"Everyone calm down please!" Harry's voice boomed out from his mouth. "We need to stop fighting, and focus on the task at hand here. Draco help me finish putting up the wards, Hermione, if you could finish the tent, and Ron, if you'd like to help that would be appreciated." Ron continued to sit there petulantly. I sighed, and we all resumed our work.

* * *

Ron just got moodier, and moodier as time went on. We were getting nowhere fast with the Horcrux hunt and I could see the frustration grating on everyone. But, none so much as Ron, one day, it must have been too much. We had just moved camps, and after set up was done. Ron threw a hissy fit. I was unsure what the immediate problem was, he was ranting and not letting anyone get a word in edgeways. Hermione looked about to walk over to him, but I held her back; he was acting erratically and seemed volatile. That motion really set him off. "If Hermione wants to do something you have no right to stop her!" He snapped. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I do if you're flailing around being dangerous. Calm down Ron."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" He yelled. "I'm done! I'm done watching Hermione fawn over you, and listen to you without question. I'm done sleeping in cold uncomfortable bunks I'm done surviving on scraps! I'm done!" He stalked off and out of the wards, and then popped off, vanishing in an instant. The three of us looked to the spot he had apparated from and stood in silence.

"What…? What just happened?" Hermione whispered. "He's gone." Harry walked to the edge of the barrier we had set up. "Do you think he'll come back?" Hermione asked me, her eyes were wide with panic.

"I don't know love. Even if he apparated close to here he wouldn't be able to find us…" Hermione sagged onto my chest, I could feel her crying.

"Maybe it's for the better." Harry's voice seemed to echo from where he stood. "He was so unhappy out here." I could tell he didn't believe what he was saying.

"Maybe," I agreed. My arms went tighter around Hermione.

"Do you think he was really mad at me?" She asked quietly. I shook my head.

"I think he was just unhappy, and he was blaming anything he could. He just wanted to leave Hermione. We'll keep going, we have no choice." She nodded against my chest. "Come on Harry. Let's get inside and get something to eat." We all settled at the table in the kitchen area. I started digging through Hermione's bag, looking for something to eat. I fished out three packs of oatmeal, and quickly went about preparing it.

"The food is pretty gross." Harry agreed forlornly and far after the fact with Ron.

"We'll need to stop and get supplies soon." I agreed. The first couple of days after a trip into a city or town were always better. We all ate in silence. It was getting dark out. "I'll take first watch if you two want to get some sleep." I offered. Harry agreed and went to lie down, but, Hermione followed me to the mouth of the tent. I started a fire not far from the tent and sat at the entrance, it was cold, and this was the best way to keep warm. Hermione had grabbed a blanket and draped it over my shoulders before sitting next to me and curling into my side.

"I can't believe he really did that. I can't believe he left." Hermione's voice sounded empty. I wrapped my arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I know babe, but, he was unhappy. Maybe he'll change his mind and find a way back to us." I shrugged.

"That seems really unlikely. I don't see how he would find us."

"Who knows Hermione, we can't worry about that. We have enough problems without adding Ron to the list. We've gotten nowhere with these horcruxes for weeks." I felt her nod in agreement against my shoulder.

"This all feels hopeless right now, doesn't it?" She asked. I sighed and pulled her a bit closer.

"It does, but, we can't lose hope. We have each other, and we will have a breakthrough eventually." She pressed a kiss to my jaw.

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I am." She laughed humorlessly at my response. I grinned and brought my free hand to her chin, angling it up and kissing her softly. "No matter what happens, I have you, and you have me. That's all we really need to get through this love." Her eyes glassed over for a moment with tears. She burrowed her face into my neck and sighed.

"What would I do without you?" She muttered. My hand threaded into her hair and held her closer to me.

"You'll never have to find out." I vowed. Looking out into the night I wondered just how long we would aimlessly wander the landscape in the hopes of destroying Voldemort one piece at a time. I looked down at Hermione, who had easily fallen asleep against my shoulder. I would wander for forever if it meant keeping her safe. That much I knew.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys! I know, I know, My update schedule sucks. But, she's uninspired and struggling atm. So, There are certain cannon points I'm sticking to. And some that ya'll might disagree with, but, I have the end of this story planned out. I don't have a whole pile to say about this chapter. I think it's a good one - lemme know!**

 **Speaking of let me know...ahah! I'll thank my gorgeous reviewers! pinkduck2587(Glad I could make your morning! Thank you!), Animelover1396(Thank you!), Juliemaggie(I'm never gone for good! Promise! Lol Harry is a bit thick sometime, yeah... Yas! No mistakes I try), ASJS(Welcome back! Sorry to hear, sending you love!), Chapou69(Thanks!), emjrabbitwolf(Thank you!)! You all rock my sock off! :P**

 **So if you want me to type out a fun message for you, leave me a fun review! Even if you say - Go eat some dinner I can hear your stomach grumbling from here! - I'll still be happy, and you're right I should go eat, thanks mom! So review, fav and follow my loves! Thanks you so much for reading!**

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